Today Rice News Headlines...
·
RiceBran Technologies and Kentucky Equine
Research Sign Exclusive Supply and Cooperation Agreement for North American
Equine Market
·
Hyderabad scientist develops iron rich rice
·
Govt’s rice procurement increases 31% to 18 MT
·
S. Korea seeks rice supply-demand balance in
2018: gov't
·
Shipments of organic rice picking up steam
·
Government announces measures to sell tonnes of
stored paddy
·
Arkansas Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report
·
Ukraine decreases imports of rice in 2015/16
season
·
Select grains remain up on rising demand
·
Farmers benefit from duty hike on rice imports
·
Thai Cabinet gives green light to increased
compensation for rice traders
·
Rice exports down in first 11 months
·
APEDA Rice Commodity News
·
Transcriptional profiling of the leaves of
near-isogenic rice lines
·
SC ruling against Bt Talong cripples food
security, hurts farmers - science students
RiceBran Technologies and Kentucky Equine
Research Sign Exclusive Supply and Cooperation Agreement for North American
Equine Market
World Leader in Equine Nutrition Partners
with Technology Leader in Rice Bran Stabilization and Processing
RiceBran Technologies (NASDAQ: RIBT and RIBTW) (the "Company" or "RBT"), a
global leader in the production and marketing of value added products derived
from rice bran, today announced that the Company has entered into a 10 year
Exclusive Supply and Cooperation Agreement covering the North American equine
market with Kentucky Equine Research ("KER"), an
international equine nutrition, research, and
consultation company serving horse owners and the feed industry.
Dr. Joe Pagan, President and Founder of KER,
commented: "We are excited to enter into this agreement with RiceBran
Technologies. In addition to RBT being the technology leader in rice bran
stabilization, their patented processes produce a range of unique rice bran derivatives
that we will jointly develop with the aim of producing high value equine
supplements with targeted nutritional applications."W.
John Short, CEO & President of RBT, commented: "Dr. Pagan has
built KER into the leading equine nutrition company in the world. It is a
pleasure and an honor to have the opportunity to cooperate with Joe and KER to
increase market penetration for both of our companies as we work to bring new,
high value equine feeds and supplements to the North American equine market."
About Kentucky Equine Research
Kentucky Equine Research (KER) is an international equine
nutrition, research, and consultation company serving horse owners and the feed
industry. KER's goals are to advance the industry's knowledge of equine
nutrition and exercise physiology, apply that knowledge to produce healthier,
more athletic horses, and support the nutritional care of all horses throughout
their lives. For more information about KER, please visit https://ker.com .
About RiceBran Technologies
RiceBran Technologies is a human food ingredient and animal
nutrition company focused on the procurement, bio-refining and marketing of
numerous products derived from rice bran. RiceBran Technologies has proprietary
and patented intellectual property that allows us to convert rice bran, one of
the world's most underutilized food sources, into a number of highly nutritious
human food ingredient and animal nutrition products. Our target markets
are human food ingredients and animal nutrition manufacturers and retailers, as
well as natural food, functional food and nutritional supplement manufacturers
and retailers, both domestically and internationally. More information can be
found in the Company's filings with the SEC and by visiting our website athttp://www.ricebrantech.com .
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements, including, but
not limited to, statements about RiceBran Technologies' expectations regarding
recovery of funds from an escrow account related to the 2008 purchase of
Irgovel. These statements are made based upon current expectations that are
subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties. RiceBran Technologies
does not undertake to update forward-looking statements in this news release to
reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors
affecting such forward-looking information. Assumptions and other
information that could cause results to differ from those set forth in the
forward-looking information can be found in this press release and
in RiceBran Technologies' filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, including its most recent periodic reports.
Investor Contact:
Ascendant Partners, LLC
Fred Sommer
+1-732-410-9810
fred@ascendantpartnersllc.com
SOURCE RiceBran Technologies
Hyderabad scientist develops iron rich rice
December 31,2015, 01.42
AM IST | THE HANS INDIA
Study shows college students had improved levels of haemoglobin
after consuming the new variety
According to the National Family Health Survey 2005-06, prevalence
of anaemia in India is 70 per cent among children (6-59 months), 55 per cent
among women (15-49 years) and 24 per cent among men (15- 40 years).In general,
the iron content in polished rice is between four and five parts-per-million
(PPM). However as per the recommendations of the Indian Council of Medical
Research (ICMR), an adult should consume around 21 milligrams to 28 milligrams
of iron per day.“We had started our research with an aim to providing fortified
iron to lower income groups, who are mostly anaemic,” he says. Although many
countries have worked on iron fortified rice, Dr Azam said, “The problem with
coated rice is that the iron gets lost when it is rinsed.”
“Then we thought why not fortify the rice in such a way that the
iron gets inside the grain, and there would be no problem with milling and
washing,” he explained. As a result, parboiling method has been adopted to
ensure that the iron content is secured inside the grain. In parboiling, the
mineral present on the surface would be retained inside and iron would be
distributed uniformly all over the grain. Thus, there would be no considerable
loss of iron when rinsed or cooked in excess water, he said.
A
kilogram of the new variety of rice contains 35 milligram of iron. Upon
conducting a study among anaemic students, it was revealed that the haemoglobin
levels of the students have gone up significantly from 6.77 to 10.36 gm/dl
(grams per decilitre). “We fed anaemic college students with 100 gram of iron
fortified rice thrice a week for two months. We have seen this significant
improvement in their haemoglobin levels,” Dr Azam said.Another interesting
feature is that normal rice, which has a thin coat of oil, is vulnerable to
oxidation process leading to generation of free radicals, which have a harmful
effect on consumers. Unlike this, the new variety with the iron infused inside
the grain, there is no possibility of the formation of free radicals making is
a healthy proposition.“Fortification of rice can be carried out at the existing
rice mills with an extra cost of Rs 1 per kg which includes the iron to be
infused with the rice,” Dr Azam said.
http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/2015-12-31/Hyderabad-scientist-develops-iron-rich-rice-196808
Govt’s rice procurement increases 31% to
18 MT
Higher figures
due to fall in prices of common variety in mandis
Despite a prospect of a lower output this year because of a
deficient monsoon, the rice procurement by Food Corporation of India (FCI) and
state government-owned agencies in the kharif marketing season (2015-16) has
seen a sharp increase of more than 31% so far in comparison to last year.The
government agencies have purchased more than 18 million tonne (MT) of rice
equivalent of paddy since October 1 (when new procurement season began) till
Tuesday, compared to 13.76 MT rice purchased from farmers during same
period last year. Food ministry sources told FE that the higher procurement of
rice is also attributed to fall in prices of common variety of rice in various
mandis across the country.
“The farmers sold grain to government agencies rather than
giving it the private traders in Punjab and Haryana, where procurement
operations have completed,” an official said. Even basmati paddy prices is
selling in the range of Rs 2,200 to Rs 2,800 per quintal in the mandis across
Punjab and Haryana, while two years back the prices were around Rs 4,000 per
quintal.
According to the latest data, of the total rice equivalent of
paddy procurement in Punjab, the agencies have purchased 9.3 MT of rice from
the farmers till now, thus surpassing even the target of 8.8 MT for the 2015–16
marketing season. In Punjab, which contributes the highest volume of rice and
wheat to the central pool, 7.7 MT of rice was purchased during same period last
year. In Haryana, state government agencies have purchased more than 2.8 MT of
rice equivalent of paddy by now, thus surpassing the target of 2.3 MT set for
the year. Other states which have commenced rice procurement include Uttar
Pradesh (7.6 lakh tonne), Telangana (8.3 lakh tonne), Kerala (1.08 lakh tonne),
among others. Even in Chhattisgarh, where the state government carries out the
purchase of paddy from farmers, state agencies have purchased 1.7 MT of rice
while in Odisha, more than 4 lakh tonne has been purchased till now.
First Published on December 30, 2015 12:08 am
S.
Korea seeks rice supply-demand balance in 2018: gov't
2015/12/30 13:34
SEJONG, Dec. 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is seeking a balance
between the supply and demand of rice by 2018 through a gradual reduction in
the size of paddies and expanding consumption, the government said
Wednesday.The Ministry of Agriculture said it wants to reduce the amount of
arable land set aside to grow rice from 799,000 hectares this year to 711,000
hectares in 2018. This is significantly smaller than the expected 749,000
hectares of paddies that would be in service even if no action is taken.
It said that in the next three years the government wants to
increase annual per capita rice consumption to 58.1 kilograms. This is smaller
than the 65.1 kg estimated for 2015, but higher than the 57.4 kg projected if
no measures are taken.In addition to reducing the size of arable land and
fueling consumption, the government will reduce the size of rice held in
reserve from 1.63 million tons as of November 2015 to just 800,000 tons in
October 2018. Smaller reserves translate into lower costs for the government
that has to maintain them."There is a need to deal with imbalance in
supply and demand," said Deputy Agriculture Minister Oh Kyung-tae. He
pointed out that in the last 10 years, Asia's fourth largest economy on average
produced 280,000 tons of rice per year more than it consumed.
"If no measures are taken it will still produce 240,000
tons of rice per year more than it needs," the official said.As part of
this effort, the ministry said it will encourage farmers to raise non-rice
produce on their lands, ask them to produce more high-quality, lower-yield
grains, and get private-sector rice-producing plants to nudge farmers to follow
state policy.To increase demand, the government will move to use more rice to
make livestock feed and alcoholic beverages.In the past, when South Korea did
not produce enough rice, such practices were not allowed.
To further increase demand, the government will support the
export of processed food that uses rice as a base ingredient.In the move to
lower rice reserves the government plans to release more grain for animal feed
and lower prices of rice given to the socially disadvantaged.The agriculture
ministry said that by taking such action, the government can save upwards of
300 billion won (US$256 million) on expenses and help stabilize the prices of
the staple grain, which can help farmers.
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/business/2015/12/30/0501000000AEN20151230004600320.html
Shipments
of organic rice picking up steam
Wed, 30 December 2015
Cambodian rice millers and exporters are increasingly eyeing the
export of organic rice to the European Union and the United States, after
shipments of this niche product increased this year.Hean Vanhan, deputy general
director of the general department of agriculture, said that organic rice
exports were considerably small compared to export of other varieties of rice,
with the Kingdom exporting only 2,800 tonnes for the first 11 months of the
year. Exports for the more popular varieties of rice was close to 457,000
tonnes this year.“We cannot put much focus on organic rice because the yield of
organic paddy is lower than normal rice,” he said. “And only farming organic
rice will not give farmers much income.
”Vanhan said that given the higher cost of organic rice, there
were only a few markets that could afford this rice, including the US and some
EU members. He added that while it was assumed that organic rice was safe and
healthy, other varieties sold by the Kingdom were equally safe.Amru Rice, one
of the major rice exporters in Cambodia, started exporting organic rice this
year and has so far shipped 1,100 tonnes to the EU and US. It sees potential in
this new market, according to the firm’s CEO Song Saran.
“Cambodia has land and labour resources to grow organic rice,”
he said, adding that his firm would look to increase shipments to 3,000 tonnes
next year.He added that given the price of such rice was higher, almost $700 to
$1,300 per tonne, farmers could see higher margins on these sales, around 20 to
30 per cent.Amru Rice is currently sourcing its rice from the Preah Vihear
district, after signing a deal with eight farmer cooperatives in the province
to purchase 2,500 tonnes of organic fragrant paddy rice.
As consumer and buyer confidence in Cambodia’s organic rice
grew, Yang Phirom, a business adviser with the Cambodian Center for Study and
Development in Agriculture, said exports had increased by 270 tonnes this year
to 746 tonnes.“Consumers now trust the quality of our organic rice, which means
that demand is increasing,” he said. “Not only in the international market, but
also in the domestic market too.”While the domestic market accounted for 26 per
cent of CEDAC’s rice sales so far this year, 34 per cent went to the US, 15 per
cent to the Netherlands and 11 per cent to France.
Government announces measures to sell tonnes of stored paddy
The Paddy Marketing Board says
that the measures are being taken to sell paddy stocks in state storage
facilities.The measures come amidst plans to purchase paddy which is harvested
in the Maha season.Board chairman M.B
Dissanayake said that the Nadu in storage facilities will be sold off following advice
provided. He noted that 250,000 metric tonnes of paddy are currently
in storage facilities
Arkansas
Farm Bureau Daily Commodity Report
Rice
|
High
|
Low
|
|
|
Long Grain Cash Bids
|
||
|
Long Grain New Crop
|
||
|
|
||
|
Futures:
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rice Comment
Rice
prices surged higher as prices broke though resistance near $11.50, and are
poised to test resistance near $12. Today's technical rally will need some some
fundamental support for prices to continue this rally.
Ukraine decreases imports
of rice in 2015/16 season
KIEV: Since the beginning of the current season Ukraine has
imported 21.7 KMT of rice. This is 19% less than during the same time period
last year (26.8 KMT).This trend was triggered by increasing rice production in
Ukraine in the 2015/16 season due to expansion of the planted area. In 2015 gross
crop of rice was 34% higher than last year (58.9 KMT compared with 43.9 KMT in
2014).India and Pakistan still remain the major suppliers of rice to Ukraine.
In July-November of the 2015/16 season their share in the total imports of rice
to Ukraine equaled 72.5%.
http://www.customstoday.com.pk/ukraine-decreases-imports-of-rice-in-201516-season/
Select grains remain
up on rising demand
Press Trust of India | New Delhi December 30, 2015 Last Updated at 14:57 IST
Amid rising demand from consuming industries
and restricted supplies from producing regions, prices of select grains
strengthened up to Rs 50 per quintal at the wholesale grains market today.
However, non-basmati rice ended lower due to sluggish demand. Marketmen said increased demand from consuming industries in the face of restricted supplies from producing regions mainly kept select grains prices higher. They said, however, muted demand from retailers dragged down non-basmati rice prices.
In the national capital, bajra and maize advanced by Rs 10 and Rs 30 to Rs 1,430-1,435 and Rs 1,720-1,740 per quintal, respectively. Jowar yellow and white also gained another Rs 50 each to Rs 1,650-1,750 and Rs 3,150-3,250 per quintal, respectively. Barley too edged up by Rs 10 to Rs 1,460-1,470 per quintal.
On the other hand, non-basmati rice permal raw, wand and sela settled lower at Rs 1,925-1,975, Rs 2,150-2,200 and Rs 2,500-2,600 against last close of Rs 1,950-2,000, Rs 2,200-2,275 and Rs 2,750-2,850 per quintal respectively.
Following are today's quotations (in Rs per quintal):
Wheat MP (desi) Rs 2,000-2,600, Wheat dara (for mills) Rs 1,675-1,705, Chakki atta (delivery) Rs 1,705-1,720, Atta Rajdhani (10 kg) Rs 230, Shakti Bhog (10 kg) Rs 230, Roller flour mill Rs 880-885 (50 kg), Maida Rs 935-940 (50 kg) and Sooji Rs 1,040-1,045 (50 kg).
Basmati rice (Lal Quila) Rs 10,700, Shri Lal Mahal Rs 11,300, Super Basmati Rice Rs 9,700, Basmati common new Rs 5,400-5,500, Rice Pusa (1121) Rs 4,100-4,800, Permal raw Rs 1,925-1.975, Permal wand Rs 2,150-2,200, Sela Rs 2,500-2,600 and Rice IR-8 Rs 1,700-1,720, Bajra Rs 1,430-1,435, Jowar yellow Rs 1,650-1,750, white Rs 3,150-3,250, Maize Rs 1,720-1,740, Barley Rs 1,460-1,470.
However, non-basmati rice ended lower due to sluggish demand. Marketmen said increased demand from consuming industries in the face of restricted supplies from producing regions mainly kept select grains prices higher. They said, however, muted demand from retailers dragged down non-basmati rice prices.
In the national capital, bajra and maize advanced by Rs 10 and Rs 30 to Rs 1,430-1,435 and Rs 1,720-1,740 per quintal, respectively. Jowar yellow and white also gained another Rs 50 each to Rs 1,650-1,750 and Rs 3,150-3,250 per quintal, respectively. Barley too edged up by Rs 10 to Rs 1,460-1,470 per quintal.
On the other hand, non-basmati rice permal raw, wand and sela settled lower at Rs 1,925-1,975, Rs 2,150-2,200 and Rs 2,500-2,600 against last close of Rs 1,950-2,000, Rs 2,200-2,275 and Rs 2,750-2,850 per quintal respectively.
Following are today's quotations (in Rs per quintal):
Wheat MP (desi) Rs 2,000-2,600, Wheat dara (for mills) Rs 1,675-1,705, Chakki atta (delivery) Rs 1,705-1,720, Atta Rajdhani (10 kg) Rs 230, Shakti Bhog (10 kg) Rs 230, Roller flour mill Rs 880-885 (50 kg), Maida Rs 935-940 (50 kg) and Sooji Rs 1,040-1,045 (50 kg).
Basmati rice (Lal Quila) Rs 10,700, Shri Lal Mahal Rs 11,300, Super Basmati Rice Rs 9,700, Basmati common new Rs 5,400-5,500, Rice Pusa (1121) Rs 4,100-4,800, Permal raw Rs 1,925-1.975, Permal wand Rs 2,150-2,200, Sela Rs 2,500-2,600 and Rice IR-8 Rs 1,700-1,720, Bajra Rs 1,430-1,435, Jowar yellow Rs 1,650-1,750, white Rs 3,150-3,250, Maize Rs 1,720-1,740, Barley Rs 1,460-1,470.
http://news.thaivisa.com/thailand/thai-cabinet-gives-green-light-to-increased-compensation-for-rice
Farmers benefit from duty hike on rice
imports
Paddy prices have increased at the growers' end as rice imports
slumped owing to a duty hike earlier this month."Both demand and prices
rose in recent weeks. It allowed me to earn more than what I used to get a
month ago," said Mohammad Mokhlesur, a farmer at Adamdighi in Bogra.He
sold 50 maunds of swarna paddy, a relatively slimmer or medium variety of rice
compared to the hybrid or coarse ones, at Tk 625 a maund, up from around Tk 600
a month ago. Prices of the thinner quality of paddy also rose, said millers and
traders."The duty hike has benefitted me though the current prices will
not bring me profits," the farmer said.
On December 8, the National Board
of Revenue issued a notification, doubling the import duty on rice to 20
percent, in a bid to curb rice imports and protect the interest of the
farmers.Rice imports plunged 65 percent to 2.04 lakh tonnes year-on-year in
July-December of fiscal 2015-16. It was 14.9 lakh tonnes in fiscal 2014-15.The
recent duty spike as well as good stocks at the government warehouses has had a
negative impact on imports, said Nurul Islam, a rice miller and importer in
Naogaon. On December 27, the stock of
cereals at public storages stood at 15.08 lakh tonnes, which is 17 percent
higher year-on-year, according to food ministry data. Rice accounted for 75
percent of total food grain stocks.
"Farmers are getting better
prices for paddy than before, following the duty hike," Islam said.Md
Layek Ali, general secretary of Bangladesh Auto, Major and Husking Mills
Association, said purchases by millers to supply rice to the public godowns
have also contributed to the recent paddy price hike.The government earlier
announced to buy two lakh tonnes of aman rice this season at Tk 31 a kilogram
from December 15 to March 16.The price is Tk 1 lower than the purchase price
set last year, despite the fact that aman production costs increased from Tk 28
a kilogram last year to Tk 28.50 this year.
Nirod Boron Saha, a rice and paddy
wholesaler and commission agent in Naogaon, said farmers would have got better
prices had the government bought a higher quantity of rice.Aman accounts for 38
percent of the annual rice output. The Department of Agricultural Extension
targeted to ensure a production of 1.35 crore tonnes of rice during the current
aman season, up from an actual production of 1.31 crore tonnes last year.The
government expects to meet the target for conducive weather, despite some early
setbacks due to floods in the northern districts, according to a report by food
planning and monitoring unit under the food ministry.
http://www.thedailystar.net/business/farmers-benefit-duty-hike-rice-imports-194245
Thai Cabinet gives green light to
increased compensation for rice traders
Cabinet gives green light to increased compensation for rice
traders
BANGKOK, 30 December 2015 (NNT) – The Cabinet on Tuesday approved
an increase in compensation for rice traders in 2016 by 204 million baht. It
also decided to extend the Village Fund program to 3 March next year or until
the program’s budget is depleted.
Government Spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said Prime Minister
Prayut Chan-o-cha instructed all ministries to follow up on their projects and
set periodic targets. They were also told to try to make the public see the
results of their works clearly.The PM asked national security units to ensure
the public’s confidence in transportation, travel, economy and safety during
the New Year holiday.As for the drought situation, Gen.
Prayut acknowledged the country’s water information compiled by
units in the district level. According to them, Thailand now has 21 billion
cubic meters of water, of which 18 – 19 billion cubic meters are expected to be
used by August – September next year. The 21 billion cubic meters are therefore
considered as sufficient for the next dry season.The Cabinet stressed that a
water use plan was necessary after the number of farmers who planted
second-season rice did not decrease as expected.The Cabinet gave nods to the 204-million-baht
increase in compensation for rice traders due to the speculation that next
year’s rice price will be lower than 8,000 baht/ton.The Village Fund program
will be extended to 31 March 2016 or until the 60-billion-baht budget is all
used up so that potential villages will receive funding from the program.
National News Bureau of Thailand
Rice exports down in first 11 months
- 30 Dec
2015 at 14:51
- WRITER: ONLINE
REPORTERS
Thai rice exports were down about 10% by volume
and value year-on-year in the first 11 months of 2015. (Photo by Pattanapong
Hirunard)
Thai
rice exports to the end of November this year were down 9.6% year-on-year to
8.6 million tonnes and the value down by 10.2% to US$4.1 billion, the Thai Rice
Exporters Association said.The association expected Thailand would export about
1 million tonnes of rice in December, lifting the total for the year to about
9.6 million tonnes, Thai media reported.The association said foreign customers
continued to order new and old rice, with continued demand for new rice for the
Chinese New Year festival.Exporters were delivering rice to China, Indonesia
and the Philippines under government-to-government deals.The association
also said Thai rice should become more competitive because the huge supply had
cut prices and the baht was weaker.
APEDA Rice Commodity News
|
International
Benchmark Price
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Price on: 29-12-2015
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Transcriptional profiling of the leaves
of near-isogenic rice lines with contrasting drought tolerance at the
reproductive stage in response to water deficit.
BMC Genomics. 2015 Dec 29;16(1):1110. doi: 10.1186/s12864-015-2335-1.Moumeni A1, Satoh K2, Venuprasad R3,4, Serraj R5,6, Kumar A7, Leung H8, Kikuchi S9.
Author information
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Drought tolerance is a complex quantitative trait that involves
the coordination of a vast array of genes belonging to different pathways. To identify
genes related to the drought-tolerance pathway in rice, we carried out
gene-expression profiling of the leaves of near-isogenic lines (NILs) with
similar genetic backgrounds and different set of QTLs but contrasting drought
tolerance levels in response to long-term drought-stress treatments. This work
will help differentiate mechanisms of tolerance in contrasting NILs and
accelerate molecular breeding programs to improve drought tolerance in this
crop.
RESULTS:
The two pairs of rice NILs, developed at the International Rice
Research Institute, along with the drought-susceptible parent, IR64, showed
distinct gene-expression profiles in leaves under different water-deficit (WD)
treatments. Drought tolerance in the highly drought-tolerant NIL (DTN), IR77298-14-1-2-B-10,
could be attributed to the up-regulation of genes with calcium ion binding,
transferase, hydrolase and transcription factor activities, whereas in the
moderate DTN, IR77298-5-6-B-18, genes with transporter, catalytic and
structural molecule activities were up-regulated under WD. In
IR77298-14-1-2-B-10, the induced genes were characterized by the presence of
regulatory motifs in their promoters, including TGGTTAGTACC and
([CT]AAC[GT]G){2}, which are specific to the TFIIIA and Myb transcription
factors, respectively. In IR77298-5-6-B-18, promoters containing a
GCAC[AG][ACGT][AT]TCCC[AG]A[ACGT]G[CT] motif, common to MADS(AP1), HD-ZIP, AP2
and YABBY, were induced, suggesting that these factors may play key roles in
the regulation of drought tolerance in these two DTNs under severe WD.
CONCLUSIONS:
We report here that the two pairs of NILs with different levels of
drought tolerance may elucidate potential mechanisms and pathways through
transcriptome data from leaf tissue. The present study serves as a resource for
marker discovery and provides detailed insight into the gene-expression
profiles of rice leaves, including the main functional categories of
drought-responsive genes and the genes that are involved in drought-tolerance
mechanisms, to help breeders identify candidate genes (both up- and
down-regulated) associated with drought tolerance and suitable targets for
manipulating the drought-tolerance trait in rice.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26715311
SC ruling against Bt Talong cripples food security, hurts farmers -
science students
In a six-page statement, the University of the Philippines League of Agricultural Biotechnology Students (UPLabs) - supported by students from UP Diliman, UP Manila, the Rizal Technological University (RTU) and the Our Lady of Fatima University Quezon Campus (OLFUQC) - expressed dismay over the ruling on a petition for reconsideration on the issuance of a writ of kalikasan against the field testing of Bt eggplant.
They claimed the decision will punish farmers who have been losing up to 90 percent of their eggplants due to persistent attacks by fruit borers. The ruling will force them to apply pesticides at least 12 times on their vegetables to protect them.
Eggplant is the most popular vegetable in the country; its production volume is second only to tomatoes, which are actually fruits rather than vegetables.By applying the rule retroactively in contravention of judicial practice, UP Labs warned that the corn industry is also taking a hit because at least 750,000 hectares of farms now produce Bt corn, which was commercialized in 2002.Once the importation of banned Bt corn seeds is imposed, the P90-billion corn industry will be in peril. The incomes of 415,000 farmers would be cut and the livestock and poultry industry will then have rely on imported feed.
Research by the Biotechnology Information Center of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca) shows practically 100 percent of the soyabean used for poultry feed is now GM.Earlier, several other leading entities expressed dismay over the SC decision, notably, the UP Los Banos Foundaiton, Inc. (UPLBFI), Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA), the Envirnmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA.)
UP Labs said the SC dcision favoring Greenpeace and Masipag, a group of scientists and farmers promoting traditional rice varieties and other crops through organic agriculture, “turns back the wheel of time” and sets back the goal of attaining food security.UP Labs noted also that while the Philippines stopped the field tests - actually completed before Greenpeace attacked the field testing site in Laguna several years ago - “Bangladesh, a developing country, not only approved Bt eggplant testing but also permitted its commercialization. Bengallis have been consuming Bt eggplant since 2014. Since its market release, not a single case of harmful effects on humans and the environment has been reported.”
Today, Bengali farmers have cut the use of pesticides for their Bt
eggplants anywhere from 70 percent to 90 percent and their incomes soared, a
consequence attributed to their cultivation of the GM eggplant, the UP
Labs said.It noted as well that the Biosafety Regulatory Framework of
Bangladesh was influenced by the Philippine Biosafety Guidelines of 1991, which
called for approvals of biotech crops only if they are safe both as food and
animal feed. This feature is not included in the US guidelines for the approval
of biotech crops.UP Labs pointed out as well that there has not been a single
case of toxicity or mortality traced to Bt corn cultivation anywhere in the
Philippines the last 13 years. UP Labs expressed dismay over “the SC’s
nullification of DA AO 08, series of 2002, the Biosafety Policy on GM
Crops in the country.
The expanded decision of
the SC will be a major setback for the stakeholders in Philippine agriculture
and industry,” UP Labs stressed.With the administrative order gone on the basis
of the SC’s finding that it antedated Executive Order No. 514¸which was issued
by President Arroyo to cover biotech products, UP Labs said the BPI would now
be barred from issuing permits for the importation of plants and plant products
derived from biotechnology, thus crippling the work of plant breeders in
both the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), the International Rice
Research Institute (IRRI), as well as in academic institutions like UP Diliman
and UPLB.
“We believe that the biosafety regulatory policy through DA AO 08-2002 is a workable, yet highly monitored protocol for processing products of modern biotechnology,” the students said.“In its 13 years of implementation parallel to the approval of Bt corn, no environmental and health problems from the production and consumption of the crop was reported. This was because before the approval, strict food and environmental safety tersts were conducted. Also, the safe use of Bt can be traced back to the 1920s. This product has also neen accepted by organic farmers for more than 50 years,” UP Labs stressed.
Its campaign to reverse the ruling against Bt Talong is supported by: Biology Majors Alliance of the Philippines (BMAP); UP College of Agriculture Student Council (UP CASC); UP College of Science Student Council (UP CSSC) in UP Diliman; UP School of Statistics Student Council, (UP Stat SC) in UP Diliman; Rizal Technological University College of Arts and Sciences Student Council (RTU CASSC); UP Agricultural Society (UP AgriSoc); UP Los Baños Chemical Society (UPLB ChemSoc); UPLB Genetics Society (UPLB GeneSoc); UP Pabvlvm Scientia Sodalitas (UP PSS); UPLB DOST Scholars’ Society (UPLB DOST SS); UP Beta Kappa Fraternity (UP BK); UP Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Society (UP MBBS); UP Physician-Scientists Association (UP PSA)
Of UP Manila; RTU Organization of Biotechnology Students (RTU ORBITS); Our Lady of Fatima University-Quezon Campus League of Biology Enthusiasts (OLFU-QC LOBE), and; RTU Interactive Psychology Students Association (RTU IPSA.)
http://www.interaksyon.com/business/122072/sc-ruling-against-bt-talong-cripples-food-security-hurt
Thank you for your interest in Daily Rice News! Our Researchers &
Editorial Team work hard to share their best
News for analysis, please give them credit. Any reproduction of
www.Ricepluss.com/www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com content requires written permission from us
and clear reference to ww.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com. Copyright © 2015
