The world remains unchanged from its original state. Nevertheless, the land is diminishing as the sea level rises, causing water to encroach upon coastal areas. Reports indicate that several small islands may soon disappear from the Earth.
Compounding this issue is the ongoing growth of global populations. This implies that there will be an increased demand for food from regions that are shrinking and becoming less productive.
As the global population approaches nine billion, the challenge extends beyond merely producing sufficient food; it also involves ensuring that the food is nutritious and cultivated sustainably. With the pressures of climate change intensifying and agricultural land becoming scarcer, researchers are actively investigating innovations that could help secure the future of food systems.
In Asia, it means farmers have to produce more rice, the staple food of the people. To support this goal, scientists at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and their global partners have developed the Green Nutritious Super Rice (GNSR), a new generation of nutritious, climate-resilient, and environmentally sustainable rice varieties.
During the recent international workshop held at Laguna, Dr. Michael Quinn, IRRI Research Director for Rice Breeding Innovations, emphasized the potential of whole-grain rice as a prototype model for GNSR to unlock proteins, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and bioactive compounds that go far beyond calories.
“Even small increases in nutrient content can have meaningful health impacts for billions who rely on rice daily. Realizing this vision requires collaboration across plant breeding, nutrition, food science, policy, and the private sector, alongside public education to encourage whole‑grain rice consumption,” said Dr. Quinn, IRRI Research Director for Rice Breeding Innovations.
In China, Dr. Lizhong Xiong, Director of the National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement at the Huazhong Agricultural University, reported that the university has already developed and released a rice variety of Huamoxiong3, the first prototype of GNSR in the form of whole grain black rice (WGBR).
The GNSR was a product of the Green Super Rice (GSR) initiative launched in 2008; it is a collaboration between IRRI and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) with support from the Chinese Government and the Gates Foundation (formerly Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation).
The objective of the program was to develop “super rice” varieties that are high-yielding, multi-stress tolerant, and resilient to key abiotic stresses such as drought, floods, and salinity. Also, these varieties perform well even with reduced fertilizer and pesticide applications, which are costly and can harm both people and the environment.
Dr. Jauhar Ali, IRRI Principal Scientist and Research Leader for Hybrid Rice Technology, said it has released 78 varieties globally, covering 44 million hectares cumulatively, including multi-stress-tolerant inbreds and hybrids that can withstand drought, flooding, salinity, and heat.
IRRI claimed that farmers growing these varieties have seen significant yield and income gains.
In the Philippines, for instance, farmers are cultivating NSIC Rc 480 (GSR8), one of the country’s most widely adopted stress-tolerant rice varieties as it is grown on over 0.7 million hectares.
The said variety can withstand drought, salinity, and flooding. The yields reportedly doubled from 4.4 tons per hectare up to 8.3 tons per hectare under rainfed lowland and irrigated conditions, respectively.
Mestiso 120, the world’s first low-methane hybrid, has been licensed to Tao Foods Company in the Philippines. The Journal Science reported that the atmospheric concentration of methane has more than doubled during the last 300 years and is increasing at an annual rate of about 1% each year.
Rice is one of the reasons why methane released into the atmosphere has been increasing. “Rice is a plant that grows best in wet soil, with its roots flooded,” explains L. Hartwell Allen, an American soil scientist at the Crops Genetics and Environmental Research Unit in Gainesville, Florida. “But flooded rice crops emit substantial amounts of methane to the atmosphere.”
During the workshop, IRRI also showcased the IR 173374H, a newly developed heat-tolerant hybrid that thrives at 38°C. Biofortified cultivars have reached 15 ppm (parts per million) iron and 30 ppm zinc, nearly double the conventional levels, while low-GI and low-methane varieties such as NSIC Rc 514 combine health benefits with environmental sustainability.
GI stands for glycemic index. It serves as an indicator of the extent to which a particular food can influence blood sugar levels. For rice, numerous cultivated varieties exhibit a GI between 70 and 92, a range that is deemed unhealthy for individuals with diabetes.
According to IRRI, the GNSR breeding program also aims to develop new whole-grain rice varieties with enhanced traits, including longer shelf life, palatability, improved taste, low glycemic index, and reduced rancidity.
Dr. Ali emphasized that these efforts go hand in hand with research on natural pigmentation to increase the antioxidant levels and micronutrient content, while being safe for heavy metals such as arsenic to ensure the rice remains safe for consumers.
Emphasizing urgency, Dr. Ali said, “Rice is consumed by 55% of the global population. The time is right. If we cannot act now, the opportunity may be lost. It is now or never.
“We are developing a new generation of whole-grain rice, including improved embryos, anthocyanins, and bioactive elements. These varieties will be evaluated, demonstrated, and released to ensure higher yields and income,” he added.—###
