Role and Utilization of Genetic Resources in rice from IRRI

Abstract

The development of improved rice varieties depends upon accress to the genetic resources of rice. Thousands of locally adapted varieties that farmers have grown for generations, and wild rice species showed the variation in many characters, such as plant height, maturity, size and grain shape, etc., These characters are useful for distinguishing different species and varieties. These species and varieties are differ in genetic base or germplasm, which is called biodiversity. The benefit of biodiversity is to produce improved rice varieties through improvement programs. Rice breeders in Thailand are focusing attention on diveloping germplasm with multipurposes, such as resistant to major diseases and insects corporated with high yielding and good grain qualities. Their efforts for 30 years had been producing hybrids to meet the objectives of various regions. More than 25 improved vaieties were released and distributed throughout the country depend on the ecology and various stresses conditions avaialble for farmers.