Author : Bennet, John

Summary : To achieve the productivity gains required to feed the growing population of rice consumers, IRRI scientists use genetic engineering to address a range of problems. Prominent among these problems is the need to enhance resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Research focuses on finding solutions that are effective, durable, environmentally friendly, and acceptable to consumers. Achieving this balance stimulates research on (1) the isolation of genes and promoters to ensure effectiveness of traits, safety as human food, and friendliness to nontarget organisms, (2) cultivar-independent transformation methods to maintain biodiversity in transgenic rices, (3) environmentally friendly selectable marker genes, (4) deployment strategies favoring durability of transgenic traits, and (5) biological confinement to prevent the spread of certain transgenes to related plants. Several areas of uncertainty may delay the implementation of this valuable technology. This paper explores some of these issues with regard to managing biotechnology for rice improvement at IRRI.