Philippines’ Super rice, released for commercial use

The National Seed Industry Council (NSIC) has approved 25 new varieties of rice in the Philippines.

GREEN SUPER RICE. A new rice variety will be available for commercial use. Image grabbed from PhilRice

These new varieties of rice were developed by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Philippine-Sino Center for Agricultural Technology (PhilSCAT), Syngenta, and LongPing Philippines.

According to NSIC Coordinator and Head of Plant Breeding and Biotechnology Division of PhilRice Dr. Oliver Manangkil, the IRRI-bred Rc 480 or more commonly known as Green Super Rice (GSR) is the one that stands out among the others. The GSR is a variety resistant to abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, alkalinity, and iron toxicity. It matures in 107 days after sowing, has intermediate resistance to pests.

In a report by Rappler, GSR combines the superior traits of 250 rice varieties to difficult grooving conditions. Six of the newly-released varieties are bred by PhilRice. For more information about the newly-approved varieties, call or text PhilRice at 0920-911-1398.

Source: PhilRice, Philippine Information Agency