IR8

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IR8 is a high-yielding semi-dwarf rice variety developed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the early 1960s. It was developed by an IRRI team consisting of Peter Jennings, Henry Beachell, Akira Tanaka, Te-Tzu Chang, Surajit Kumar De Datta, and Robert F. Chandler.

Contents

Research

IR8 was the eighth of 38 crossbred rice varieties in a 1962 experiment by IRRI. [1] It was a cross of Peta, a high yield rice variety from Indonesia, and Dee-geo-woo-gen (DGWG), a dwarf variety from Taiwan. [2] [1] [3] The semidwarf-1 gene (sd-1 or Os01g0883800), which encodes an enzyme in the production of the hormone gibberellin, which affects plant height; this improved its yield. [4] [5] [6] [1] IR8 was well suited to the places it was first introduced. However, it “did not fit most rice-growing situations,” which involve heavy monsoons or deep flooding. [7] [8]

Cultivation

In November 1966, IR8 was introduced in the Philippines and India. [1] Promoters such as the IRRI and farmer benefactors of IR8 have called it 'miracle rice', and celebrate it for fighting famine. [3] [9] [7] [8] IR8 dramatically increased the yields of Asian rice from 1 or 2 ton per hectare to 4 or 5 tons per hectare. [10] It played a significant part in the Green Revolution.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "IR8: Rice that Changed the World". IRRI.org. International Rice Research Institute. November 2016. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  2. ↑ "RT_Supplement-IR8.pdf" (PDF).
  3. 1 2 Rowlatt, Justin (2016-12-01). "IR8: The miracle rice which saved millions of lives". BBC News. Retrieved 2017-01-02.
  4. ↑ "Os01g0883800". RiceWiki. Archived from the original on October 20, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  5. ↑ Nagano H, Onishi K, Ogasawara M, Horiuchi Y, Sano Y (October 2005). "Genealogy of the 'Green Revolution' gene in rice". Genes & Genetic Systems. 80 (5): 351–356. doi: 10.1266/ggs.80.351 . PMID   16394586.
  6. ↑ "Genetic Diversity in Rice". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Corporate Document Repository. Proceedings of the 20th Session of the International Rice Commission. Agriculture and Consumer Protection. 23–26 July 2002.
  7. 1 2 Beyond IR8: IRRI's second decade. International Rice Research Institute. April 1980.
  8. 1 2 Farmer, B. H. (1977). "1. Technology and Change in Rice-growing Areas". Green Revolution? Technology and Change in Rice-growing Areas of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. Westview Press, Boulder, Colorado. pp. 1–6. ISBN   0-89158-709-8.
  9. ↑ Ganzel, Bill (2007). "The Development of "Miracle Rice" Varieties". www.livinghistoryfarm.org. Archived from the original on 2017-06-05. Retrieved 2017-09-19.
  10. ↑ World Food Prize Foundation 1996 Laureate: Beachell and Khush worldfoodprize.org


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