Tuesday, April 19, 2016

18th April,2016 daily global regional and local rice e-newseltter by riceplus magazine

Nigeria: Rice Production - Investors to Cultivate 10,000 Hectares of Land in Kebbi

By Ismail Adebayo
Birnin Kebbi — The Kebbi State government has approved the release of 10,000 hectares of land to the management AITEO Energy Resources Company for the cultivation and production of rice.The leader of the delegation, Alhaji Abubakar Shehu Tambuwal, after a meeting with Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu at the Government House in Birnin Kebbi, announced his company's readiness to immediately commence operation in the state."We are expected to open an office in the state capital next week and immediately commence recruitment of staff for the cultivation, processing and sale of milled rice in Kebbi," he said.A release by the governor's chief press secretary, Alhaji Mu'azu Dakingari, said Governor Bagudu released the massive land to the investors to improve the economy of the state.
While thanking the governor for the gesture, Alhaji Tambuwal said his company would also employ growers immediately. He stated that the rice cultivation investment would assist the state to generate revenue and empower its peopleMonsoon rains seen above average in 2016
India's crucial monsoon rains are expected to be above average in 2016, the weather office says, easing fears over farm and economic growth after two straight droughts hit rural incomes and agricultural output.
Rains in 2016 would be 106 per cent of the long-term average, Laxman Singh Rathore, chief of the India Meteorological Department, said.
Rathore said the monsoon rains could be above average as El Nino - a warming of the eastern Pacific Ocean that can lead to dry spells in South Asia - is fading and giving way to La Nina in which the same waters cool.
The July-to-September monsoon delivers 70 per cent of India's annual rainfall. It is critical for the country's 263 million farmers and their rice, cane, corn, cotton and soybean crops, as nearly half of its farmland lacks irrigation.
Bumper rains can spur farm and economic growth and boost rural demand for gold, cars, motorcycles, refrigerators and fertiliser. Two-thirds of India's population depends on farming for its livelihood.
http://www.ntnews.com.au/news/breaking-news/monsoon-rains-seen-above-average-in-2016/news-story/3347633b012074b679da7681a79298e6
Drought damage to Vietnam agriculture escalates, $250 mln and counting
Thanh Nien News
HO CHI MINH CITY - Monday, April 18, 2016 12:11
Nearly 340,000 families in Vietnam's southern and central regions are suffering from water shortage. Photo: Thien Nhan/Thanh Nien
Losses from the severe drought that is parching central and southern Vietnam have risen to almost US$250 million as it ravages vast plantations and seafood farms, officials said.
The number was compiled by the Central Steering Committee on Natural Disasters Prevention which surveyed the impact on agriculture in the Central Highlands, south central provinces and the Mekong Delta in the last three and a half months.
The drought, the worst in the country in 90 years, has destroyed nearly 260,000 hectares of rice and vegetables, more than 160,000 hectares of orchards and cash crops and more than 4,500 hectares of seafood farms, according to the report.
Nearly 340,000 families face a water shortage, it said.
Some 70 percent of agriculture land have dried up in the Central Highlands and south central provinces, which are the main producers of Vietnam’s prime exports of coffee and pepper.
Low water levels in the Mekong River have caused seawater to intrude 90 kilometers into the basin, the furthest recorded in history. Eleven out of 13 provinces in the delta have declared the drought a natural disaster.
The agriculture ministry has urged the government to provide more than VND1 trillion ($44.6 million) in relief to the affected areas as the situation is likely to continue until September and spread to the north central provinces as well.
Water in rivers in the affected areas can drop by more than 90 percent below average levels, it said.
http://www.thanhniennews.com/society/drought-damage-to-vietnam-agriculture-escalates-250-mln-and-counting-61330.html


Delta drought gives glimpse into bleak future for mighty Mekong

CU LAO DUNG: While China has been releasing water from a hydro-electric dam in the upper Mekong River to help relieve drought down river in Southeast Asia, little of it has flowed to Nguyen Van Thach’s sugarcane farm in southern Vietnam.
After feeding his six cows with grass uprooted from a village nearby, Thach took a knife and cut a slice of sugarcane from his withered crop. “It’s too salty,” the 62-year-old farmer said, grimacing as he licked the piece of cane. “Even cows can’t eat this.”
Thach has quit growing sugarcane and is building houses instead to repay loans after his farm in Soc Trang province in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta rice bowl lost 10 million dong ($449).
The sprawling Mekong Delta has been worst hit by salination in a region that provides half of Vietnam’s rice and 60 percent of its shrimp and fish.
Low river levels have allowed seawater to penetrate 90 kms (56 miles) inland, ruining vast swathes of cropland in the fertile delta. Vietnam says the salt water intrusion in the delta is unprecedented.
It could be the new normal along the mighty Mekong, the 4,900 km (3,044 mile) river that sustains 60 million livelihoods as it flows through Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.
At least 39 hydro-electric dams are being built or under development in China, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia to meet the industrial demands of developing economies. Environmentalists say they are also endangering traditional agriculture downstream, where there is now less fresh water for drinking and irrigation.
The water China is discharging from its existing dams upstream has had little discernible impact as it dissipates into the expansive delta region where Thach and nearly 20 million other people live.
Vietnam is also suffering its most severe drought in 90 years, blamed partly on the El Nino weather phenomenon, which produces drier and hotter weather in Asia. Climate change is also factor in the drought, said Nguyen Huu Thien, an independent expert on the Mekong Delta’s ecology.
“In the context of climate change, this kind of crisis (in the Mekong Delta) is forecast to happen more often, for example it could be once in 20 years instead of once in 90 years.”
Moreover, the delta, much of which is only two metres or less above sea level, has been sinking in recent years due to rising sea levels and heavy groundwater extraction from an ever increasing number of wells. Depleted water tables cause the ground to compact, allowing seawater to intrude into cropland and water supplies.
The drought and sea water intrusion is sapping Vietnam’s economy, which leans on commodity exports. The agriculture sector contracted 2.69 percent in the first quarter of 2016 and overall economic growth of 5.56 percent was the slowest in two years.
Vietnam is a major global exporter for rice, coffee, pepper, fish and shrimp. Preliminary losses for those crops so far this year are at 5.57 trillion dong ($250 million), according to a government report as of April 14, nearly 70 percent of which was in the Mekong Delta.
The drought has affected a third of the coffee farms in the Central Highlands coffee belt, said the Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association. Vietnam is the world’s second-biggest producer of the beans. The agriculture ministry said sugar refineries reported an 11 percent drop in the cane volume to 10.23 million tonnes.
The government says 240,000 hectares (593,000 acres) of paddy have been destroyed in the world’s third-largest rice exporter.
Southwest of the delta in Bac Lieu, a major shrimp-raising province, signs are planted on dried-up shrimp ponds advertising land for sale or for lease.Vietnam, a major shrimp exporter to the United States, produced 91,900 tonnes in the January-March period, down 1 percent from a year ago, government data says.
To Viet Tien, 61, has been raising shrimp since 1982 and has never seen it so bad. “It’s been too hot toward the bottom of the pond and shrimp can’t stand it,” he said. “On this (salty) soil, it’s impossible to switch to another crop,” Tien said.Mekong Delta farmers are beholden to those managing the river beyond Vietnam’s borders. Up to 70 percent of the water irrigating their crops comes from the river. Pianporn Deetes of International Rivers, a US-based advocacy group, said China has “absolute control” of the Mekong: “The region is being held hostage by hydropower development.”
http://dailytimes.com.pk/region/18-Apr-16/delta-drought-gives-glimpse-into-bleak-future-for-mighty-mekong

VFA forecasts decline of rice exports in second quarter
The Vietnam Food Association (VFA) has planned to export 1.6 million tons of rice for the second quarter of this year, 200,000 tons lower than the initial plan.
This is attributable to the implementation of the signed contracts and the impact of drought and saline intrusion which make rice yields to fall.

Rice exports in the first quarter saw positive results. The country shipped 1.59 million tons of rice to get US$692 million in the period, up 41.6% in volume and 40.8% in value against the same period last year.

The VFA attributed the sharp increase in the first three months to the implementation of G-to-G contracts signed with Indonesia and the Philippines last year and newly signed contracts with China.

According to VFA, the export prices of Vietnamese rice also stood higher than those offered by other suppliers in Asia and Vietnam’s rice exporters are likely to lose competitive edge and market shares in the coming time.

Rice exports in the first half of this year are expected to hit over 3 million (excluding the volume exported through illegal channels), up 12% against the corresponding period last year.
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/business/155150/vfa-forecasts-decline-of-rice-exports-in-second-quarter.html

China Rice Production Likely To Remain Flat in 2016-17

19.04.2016
MY 2016/17 rough rice production in China is forecast to remain flat at 208.3 MMT. MY 2016/17 rice consumption is forecast at 147.4 MMT, down 600,000 MT as Chinese consumers are eating more meat and dairy and eating less rice, wheat and other staple grain.
Higher rice prices have also hurt industrial and feed demand. Rice imports are forecast to remain stable in MY 2016/17. Domestic rice prices continue to stay far above international prices due to Chinaandrsquo;s floor price, sustaining demand for imported (and smuggled) rice.
http://www.blackseagrain.net/novosti/china-rice-production-likely-to-remain-flat-in-2016-17
Vietnam's H1 2016 rice exports may edge up despite output fall
REUTERS
UPDATED : 04/16/2016 17:31 GMT + 7

Farmers plant rice on a paddy in Vietnam's northern Phu Tho province, outside Hanoi, February 21, 2016.
Reuters
Vietnam could export more than 3 million tonnes of rice in the first half of 2016, up 12 percent from the previous year, on rising demand from China and other Southeast Asian nations, amid supply concerns caused by drought, the government said on Friday.
Rice shipments in the three months ending June are projected at 1.6 million tonnes, including sales to China, the government reported on its website citing the Vietnam Food Association (VFA).
However, the VFA lowered their projection by 11 percent amid a drought in Vietnam's main rice-growing region, the government said.
Vietnam, the world's third-largest rice exporter after India and Thailand, shipped 1.55 million tonnes of rice in the January to March period, up 38 percent from a year ago, according to Vietnam Customs data released on Wednesday.
The Southeast Asian country has been fighting the worst drought and sea water intrusion in 90 years in its Mekong Delta food basket, brought on by climate change and El Nino weather pattern. The El Nino typically brings hot, dry conditions to Southeast Asia.
The drought conditions have led other countries in the region to bolster rice imports. Late last year, Vietnam sold 1 million tonnes of rice to Indonesia and another 450,000 tonnes to the Philippines for delivery by the end of the first quarter of 2016.
The disasters have lowered the first-quarter growth of Vietnam's agriculture sector, reducing the Delta's winter-spring paddy output while lifting the country's rice export prices to a five-month high in late March.
"Given the relatively high prices, VFA reckons that rice exports could lose their competitive edge and market share in the coming time," the government report said.
Vietnam's paddy output could fall 1.5 percent this year to 44.5 million tonnes due to Mekong Delta's crop losses, while the annual export would be 8.7 million tonnes, unchanged from a previous projection, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in its April rice market report.
BMI Research forecasts global rice production to decline in 2015/2016, the first in seven seasons, and a global rice deficit of 13 million tonnes could emerge for 2015/2016 after consistent surpluses in the crop years from 2005/06 to 2013/14.
Vietnam could follow Thailand to restructure rice cultivation by reducing planting areas and switching to other crops which requires less water, said Le Anh Tuan, deputy head, Research Institute for Climate Change under Can Tho university.
"Scientists and the authority should reassess the direction for Delta and should not race into rice production," Tuan told Reuters.
http://tuoitrenews.vn/business/34320/vietnam-s-h1-2016-rice-exports-may-edge-up-despite-output-fall

Rice Farming for Profit in 2016

Author: Jarrod Hardke, Rice Extension Agronomist
After a 2015 season that left many Arkansas rice producers feeling kicked in the gut, 2016 doesn’t look to offer much relief. Rice looks to be the best smelling pig in the pen in terms of penciling out profitability, but margins are tight there as well.  This year we’ll need to make every penny count. That means managing risk. We’re not looking for a homerun this year; we’re looking to cover all the bases and keep the game going.

WEATHER

To manage risk we need to get back to basics. Try to spread out planting dates – planting earlier does produce higher yields but often carries increased input costs along with it. Last season many didn’t get a chance to spread anything out, you either planted in that 10-14 day window or you didn’t plant. Yes those situations happen, but that window happened at the end of April when it was clear we needed to plant and not wait. Right now, while it’s early, you still have to stick with Plan A; don’t jump to Plan B before we even get to A.  Reflective of the truly odd year that 2015 was, those who were delayed until almost May in planting frequently had higher yields than those who planted weeks earlier; however, this should be considered a great exception and not the rule. Let’s start by trying to spread out our planting dates a little – especially if you’re going to try and plant some really early. Determine the maximum acres that you would consider planting early and then stick with that number. Remember that the optimum recommended planting window has two boundaries for a reason.

SEED

Speaking of seed – just treat it.  The use of insecticide and fungicide seed treatments may provide one of the greatest returns on investment in rice production.  Based on 200+ observations since 2008, insecticide seed treatments provide a positive return 80% of the time with an average yield increase of over 8 bushels per acre.  The average cost of the insecticide is equivalent to a little over 2 bushels – that’s an average return on investment of 6 bushels.  Fungicide seed treatments provide a couple weeks insurance against seedling disease with the goal of getting the rice large enough to outrun those diseases for the rest of the season.  They’re not going to provide more than 2-3 weeks of protection but are a very cheap and worthwhile form of insurance.  Everyone is always looking for that product that will make plants greener, stronger, faster, prettier – well this is it.  Don’t spend money on other untested, unproven products this year – spend that money treating the seed with insecticide and fungicides.We need to treat the seed with both an insecticide and fungicides. This helps maximize our stand uniformity and increases seedling vigor. And we’re going to stick with a good seeding rate – on a silt loam soil start with 30 seed per square foot (seed/ft2) for varieties and 10 seed/ft2 for hybrids. Increase the rate by 10% when planting very early, increase by 20% on clay soils, and increase it if the seedbed is in poor condition. Don’t increase above 50% after all factors are considered – max of 45 seed/ft2 for varieties and 15 seed/ft2 for hybrids.  Use the RICESEED program (http://riceseed.uaex.edu) to help with selecting the appropriate seeding rate across a range of conditions.

FERTILIZER

Fertility programs need to be solid and smart, based on soil test analysis, not chosen at random or reduced just because you think you can get away with it. Nutrient deficiencies are much more costly and difficult to correct in-season. It’s best to avoid issues with P, K, and Zn by having a good fertility program to start.
When it comes to nitrogen, there is NO WAY to put out the season’s needs at planting, regardless of what anyone may try to tell you. Nitrogen put out at planting with your other fertilizer will undergo major losses long before the plants get big enough to take it up. Hopefully we have an easier time getting preflood N onto dry soil this year so we can maximize efficiency. If we reach the point where we can only put it on muddy soil, then up the rate a little and get it out. Do not resort to flying it into standing water – it’s very inefficient and costly and we cannot make up our entire yield that way. When it comes to the midseason N application for varieties, note that the new recommendation is you need to be beyond green ring (internode elongation) AND at least 3 weeks after the preflood N was incorporated with the flood. You have to meet both of these conditions to get the maximum benefit from midseason N.
If you have the watering capacity and the right field conditions, you can use a single optimum preflood (and not even have to apply a midseason application) while putting out less total nitrogen.  There’s a spot we can potentially save money, but it’s not for everyone and figuring out if it’s best for you needs a one-on-one conversation – call me.  We’ve been recommending N-STaR soil testing for years now and continue to do so – the goal is not to lower your nitrogen rate but to provide a field-specific, prescription nitrogen rate (the correct nitrogen rate).

WEED CONTROL

Herbicide costs are one of the greatest sources of variation in our budgets every year.  Environmental difficulties notwithstanding, we need to use preemergence herbicides and get them activated.  When those applications begin to break we need to get postemergence applications out on small weeds when the treatment will work best.  Results from the Rice Research Verification Program from 2013-2015 show an average herbicide cost of $73.15 per acre.  Costs for individual fields ranged from $25 to $137 per acre (none of these numbers include application costs).  The point is you can keep your chemical costs down with timely applications using the proper recommended rates.  Your goal should be to average less than $100 per acre in herbicide costs, and the Verification program has shown it can be done cheaper than that in most instances.  See the 2015 RRVP report HERE.  See other past RRVP reports HERE.

IRRIGATION

Improving irrigation efficiency should be a constant goal in rice production.  Land improvements have been one way to improve efficiency but require large capital investments and advance planning.  In-season, the use of multiple-inlet rice irrigation, commonly referred to as MIRI, can have a dramatic impact for reducing total water use and pumping time.  In order to achieve the greatest benefits of MIRI, water needs to be added to each bay equally and the levee gates set higher so that no water passes over them during normal irrigation.  There has to be room above the flood level to capture regular rainfall events without transfer between bays.  Extreme rainfall events may cause water loss from the field but are exceptions – the gates should be set at ‘emergency level’ heights to allow water from these events to safely leave the field without blowing levees.  There are other alternative irrigation strategies available that have a learning curve attached to them – such as alternative wetting and drying (AWD / intermittent flooding) and furrow-irrigated or ‘row rice’.  These also have the potential to reduce input costs and water use but will require a change in traditional thinking and again some one-on-one, field-by-field conversations and setups to get comfortable and reduce the risk involved in the learning curve.

HARVEST

Harvest is a trying time for all and arguably the greatest source of stress during each season.  The need to get the crop out of the field timely and in the best condition is the biggest concern after a season of considerations, decisions, and expense.  Planting several different cultivars over multiple planting dates allows for the crop to mature at slightly different intervals permitting timely harvest at optimum moisture to maintain grain yield and quality.  The use of harvest aids should be done sparingly and only when needed.  They are a tool, and as such they can be beneficial when used properly and harmful when used recklessly.  When used properly, when rice is between 25 and 18 percent moisture, the drying process is sped up and so is harvest.  Do not treat more acres than you can safely harvest before a weather event that will delay further harvest.  Most fields will need to be cut within 3-5 days after a harvest aid application.  Any longer than that and the grain will likely become overly dry resulting in reductions in grain quality and potential yield losses may arise from shattering.

OTHER INPUTS

It’s been written about already this spring but it bears repeating.  Keep your eye on the bottom line at all times.  If we put out the proper seeding rate, use adequate preplant fertilizer according to soil testing, use multiple herbicide modes of action (and activate them), and use appropriate nitrogen rates and timings, there’s not much else to add that’s going to provide a positive crop or yield benefit.  Yes, fungicides and insecticides have their place – when treatment thresholds are met to indicate the need for treatment.  Other than that – keep it out of the tank and save your money.  Even adjuvants designed to improve the utility of herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides should only be used according to those products’ labels.  Any deviation or addition of other products has not been proven to be of any benefit.  So don’t do it!

FINAL THOUGHTS

Let’s grow rice for profit in 2016.  Make management decisions on a field-by-field basis and avoid making blanket applications of any products to large acreage.  The more field-specific and timely our inputs are, the more likely we are to maximize both yield and profit potential.  Keep your eye on the bottom line, not just on that yield number.  Consult the DD50 Rice Management Program for help with properly timing management for your fields (http://dd50.uaex.edu).  For all rice production information visit http://uaex.edu/rice.  Call if we can help.  See you in the field.
 http://www.arkansas-crops.com/2016/04/15/rice-farming-profit/#sthash.hzjtmeMB.uWwhcSnN.dpuf

Rice Prices

Arrivals in tonnes;prices in Rs/quintal in domestic market.
Arrivals
Price
Current
%
change
Season 
cumulative
Modal
Prev.
Modal
Prev.Yr
%change
Rice
Bazpur(Utr)
327.60
100
38714.81
1500
1480
-18.92
Azamgarh(UP)
125.00
-31.32
4003.50
2100
1975
-
Ballia(UP)
100.00
-16.67
6690.00
1980
2010
0.25
Pilibhit(UP)
100.00
NC
18294.00
2185
2195
-0.23
Chandabali(Ori)
85.00
NC
1353.00
1800
1400
50.00
Kalipur(WB)
82.00
7.89
4690.00
2150
2050
4.88
Saharanpur(UP)
72.00
4.35
4423.00
2170
2170
2.60
Pandua(WB)
50.00
4.17
1619.00
2600
2700
-3.70
Gondal(UP)
45.00
NC
11362.10
1950
2030
-3.23
Balrampur(UP)
45.00
9.76
1159.50
2070
2025
2.22
Kasimbazar(WB)
43.00
-1.15
1625.50
2275
2280
-9.00
Cachar(ASM)
40.00
100
1490.00
2700
2700
NC
Karimganj(ASM)
40.00
NC
1440.00
2200
2200
NC
Beldanga(WB)
40.00
8.11
1650.00
2280
2280
-6.94
Bindki(UP)
37.00
-51.32
2274.00
2280
2240
10.68
Kolhapur(Laxmipuri)(Mah)
35.00
16.67
1414.00
3500
3200
-
Dadri(UP)
32.00
NC
1749.00
2140
2120
2.88
Jasra(UP)
30.00
NC
532.50
2050
1995
1.23
Kondotty(Ker)
25.00
NC
125.00
2600
2700
-
Dhekiajuli(ASM)
20.00
-33.33
880.00
1800
1800
-3.74
Lohardaga(Jha)
20.00
-9.09
737.00
1650
1930
-15.38
Diamond Harbour(South 24-pgs)(WB)
20.00
-6.98
603.50
1900
1900
-9.52
Palghar(Mah)
17.00
325
552.00
2796
2003
-23.94
Naugarh(UP)
17.00
-15
579.00
2010
2015
5.24
Wansi(UP)
17.00
100
69.50
2010
2060
6.35
Kendupatna(Ori)
16.00
-69.81
89.00
1720
1800
-7.43
Champadanga(WB)
16.00
14.29
744.00
2400
2350
-7.69
Yusufpur(UP)
15.00
-16.67
620.00
1940
1930
1.31
Rampur(UP)
14.00
3.7
449.50
2270
2260
11.27
Udala(Ori)
12.00
NC
768.00
2800
2800
12.00
Holenarsipura(Kar)
10.00
-28.57
103.00
1800
1720
-26.77
Sheoraphuly(WB)
9.00
NC
353.50
2700
2700
NC
North Lakhimpur(ASM)
8.80
-38.89
1257.40
1900
1900
-
Nilagiri(Ori)
7.00
-12.5
374.00
2400
2300
4.35
Khairagarh(UP)
7.00
-12.5
332.00
2100
2090
4.48
Tusura(Ori)
6.00
-20
195.00
2200
2200
-8.33
Mirzapur(UP)
5.00
-16.67
1212.50
1945
1945
-1.77
Muradabad(UP)
5.00
-28.57
443.70
2300
2300
12.20
Dibrugarh(ASM)
4.50
-76.32
1017.90
2450
2450
-
Bijnaur(UP)
3.50
-56.25
399.50
2250
2200
9.22
Rura(UP)
3.50
-22.22
87.40
2100
2080
-2.33
Balarampur(WB)
2.50
13.64
52.50
2180
2130
-9.17
Islampur(WB)
2.20
-26.67
243.50
2150
2150
-
Sardhana(UP)
1.00
-66.67
71.20
2180
2160
4.31
Thoubal(Man)
1.00
-16.67
70.30
2800
2800
180.00
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/article8489327.ece
Scientists issue rallying cry for wheat blast research
JOHN INNES CENTRE
    
IMAGE: DEVASTATED BLAST AFFECTED WHEAT FIELD OF FARMER HAFIZUR RAHMAN OF VILLAGE BISMILLANAGAR OF SHAILKUPA UPAZILLA IN THE DISTRICT OF JHENAIDAH. ABOUT 75% YIELD LOSS HAS OCCURRED IN HIS WHEAT FIELD... view more 
CREDIT: PROF. TOFAZZAL ISLAM DEPARTMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY, BSMRAU, BANGLADESH
A team of scientists in the UK and Bangladesh are turning to the combined knowledge of the global scientific community to address an emerging threat to Asian agriculture.
The target is the fearsome fungal disease wheat blast. The pathogen was spotted in Bangladesh in February this year -- its first report in Asia. Wheat is the second major food source in Bangladesh, after rice. The blast disease has, so far, caused up to 90% yield losses in more than 15,000 hectares. Scientists fear that the pathogen could spread further to other wheat growing areas in South Asia.
The UK and Bangladeshi teams are making raw genetic data for the wheat blast pathogen available on a new website -- http://www.wheatblast.net -- and inviting others to do the same. Professor Sophien Kamoun, of The Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich, who is leading the project, said that a wide cultural change is needed for scientists to optimally address new threats to food security.
"I have a beef with the way that research is typically done. We need a fundamentally new approach to sharing genetic data for emerging plant diseases," he said. "We need to generate and make data public more rapidly and seek input from a larger crowd because, collectively, we are better able to answer questions."
Professor Kamoun, with colleagues at The Genome Analysis Centre and John Innes Centre in Norwich, and with Professor Tofazzal Islam's Team of Bangabndhu Sheikh Mujubur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU) in Bangladesh, is hoping that the http://www.wheatblast.netwebsite, together with an accompanying Facebook page, will provide a hub for information, collaboration and comment. They are basing the site on their successful Open Ash Dieback website, which brought scientists together in the fight against ash dieback disease.
The blast fungus normally infects rice and over 50 types of grasses. Occasionally, a blast fungus strain would jump from one host to another resulting in a new disease. Such a "host jump" to wheat has happened in Brazil in the 1980s. The wheat blast pathogen is now rife in South America, where it infects up to 3 million hectares and causes serious crop losses.
Prof Kamoun and colleagues are working with Professor Tofazzal Islam's team, of the Department of Biotechnology of BSMRAU in Gazipur, Bangladesh. They hope that the genetic data will help determine whether the Bangladeshi wheat-infecting strain has evolved independently from local grass-infecting fungi or was somehow introduced into the country.
Professor Tofazzal Islam said "This pathogen causes a destructive disease on rice and it would be disastrous if the same situation arises now in wheat. Genomic and post-genomic research should clarify the origin of the wheat strain and guide measures for disease management. Prompt responses are needed from the scientific community and the government of Bangladesh for addressing this national crisis to ensure increasing wheat production, which is linked with future food and nutritional security of the nation."
The group of scientists includes Dr Diane Saunders at The Genome Analysis Centre and John Innes Centre who developed a technique last year, known as Field Pathogenomics. To date, Field Pathogenomics has been applied to track another fungal crop disease - yellow rust. The method generates highly-specific genetic information directly from diseased wheat samples to determine the identity of the pathogen strain that's associated with an epidemic. Application of this method to wheat blast should unmask the pathogen in Bangladesh and contribute to a response plan.
The recent wheat blast epidemic in Bangladesh has prompted Professor Nick Talbot, University of Exeter, to post on the wheatblast.net website a set of genetic data generated by his group from worldwide populations of the wheat and rice blast fungus. Prof Talbot said "In an emergency like this one, the community must come together to share data and compare notes. Only then, we will determine the true identity of the pathogen and put in place effective measures in a timely fashion."
Professor Neil Hall, Director of The Genome Analysis Centre said: "It is critical in emerging crises like this that scientific data is rapidly generated and made available as soon as possible. Having an open-access site has already galvanized open exchange of information for the ash dieback disease. The scientific community needs to rally behind open science to respond to recurrent threats to global food security."
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This research has been funded by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation and UK's Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
Notes to editors
1. Professor Sophien Kamoun is available for interview on Friday April 15, 2016 and Saturday April 16, 2016. After that he will be travelling but available for telephone interviews. If you would like to interview Professor Kamoun please see contact details below.
2. For further information or to arrange interviews please contact:
Geraldine Platten
communications manager for TSL and JIC
T: 016043450238
E: 
geraldineplatten@jic.ac.uk
Prof Sophien Kamoun
The Sainsbury Laboratory
E: 
sophien.kamoun@tsl.ac.uk
Twitter: @KamounLab
Prof. Tofazzal Islam
Department of Biotechnology, BSMRAU, Bangladesh
E: 
tofazzalislam@yahoo.com
T: +88-01534568893, +88-01714001414
3. Images to accompany the press release can be found at: http://bit.ly/1p3Fu1L
4. About The Sainsbury Laboratory
The Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL) is a world-leading research centre focusing on making fundamental discoveries about plants and how they interact with microbes. TSL not only provides fundamental biological insights into plant-pathogen interactions, but is also delivering novel, genomics-based, solutions which will significantly reduce losses from major diseases of food crops, especially in developing countries. TSL is an independent charitable company and receives strategic funding from the Gatsby Charitable Foundation with the balance coming from competitive grants and contracts from a range of public and private bodies, including the European Union (EU), Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and commercial and charitable organisations http://www.tsl.ac.uk.
5. About The Genome Analysis Centre
The Genome Analysis Centre (TGAC) is a world-class research institute focusing on the development of genomics and computational biology. TGAC is based within the Norwich Research Park and receives strategic funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council (BBSRC) - £7.4M in 2013/14 - as well as support from other research funders. TGAC is one of eight institutes that receive strategic funding from BBSRC. TGAC operates a National Capability to promote the application of genomics and bioinformatics to advance bioscience research and innovation.
TGAC offers state of the art DNA sequencing facility, unique by its operation of multiple complementary technologies for data generation. The Institute is a UK hub for innovative Bioinformatics through research, analysis and interpretation of multiple, complex data sets. It hosts one of the largest computing hardware facilities dedicated to life science research in Europe. It is also actively involved in developing novel platforms to provide access to computational tools and processing capacity for multiple academic and industrial users and promoting applications of computational Bioscience. Additionally, the Institute offers a Training programme through courses and workshops, and an Outreach programme targeting schools, teachers and the general public through dialogue and science communication activities. http://www.tgac.ac.uk
6. About the John Innes Centre
Our mission is to generate knowledge of plants and microbes through innovative research, to train scientists for the future, to apply our knowledge of nature's diversity to benefit agriculture, the environment, human health and well-being, and engage with policy makers and the public.
To achieve these goals we establish pioneering long-term research objectives in plant and microbial science, with a focus on genetics. These objectives include promoting the translation of research through partnerships to develop improved crops and to make new products from microbes and plants for human health and other applications. We also create new approaches, technologies and resources that enable research advances and help industry to make new products. The knowledge, resources and trained researchers we generate help global societies address important challenges including providing sufficient and affordable food, making new products for human health and industrial applications, and developing sustainable bio-based manufacturing.
This provides a fertile environment for training the next generation of plant and microbial scientists, many of whom go on to careers in industry and academia, around the world.
The John Innes Centre is strategically funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). In 2014-2015 the John Innes Centre received a total of £36.9 million from the BBSRC.
7. About the BBSRC
The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) invests in world-class bioscience research and training on behalf of the UK public. Our aim is to further scientific knowledge, to promote economic growth, wealth and job creation and to improve quality of life in the UK and beyond.
Funded by Government, BBSRC invested over £509M in world-class bioscience in 2014-15. We support research and training in universities and strategically funded institutes. BBSRC research and the people we fund are helping society to meet major challenges, including food security, green energy and healthier, longer lives.
Our investments underpin important UK economic sectors, such as farming, food, industrial biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.
For more information about BBSRC, our science and our impact see: http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk
8. About Department of Biotechnology of BSMRAU
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU) is a public university in Bangladesh, which is known as a "Center of Excellence" in higher education and advanced research. The Department of Biotechnology of BSMRAU delivers high class teaching and conducts cutting-edge research in biotechnology for sustainable solution of current and emerging challenges associated with food and nutritional security of Bangladesh and the globe. http:http://www.btlbsmrau.org
9. Useful links:
Wheatblast.net (to go live weekend of 00:01 1April 19, 2016)
Wheat blast website at Kansas State University https://www.k-state.edu/wheatblast/
Wheat blast website at CIMMYT http://www.cimmyt.org/en/wheat-blast
Wheat blast affects 15,500 hectares of land in 5 districts http://www.thedailystar.net/country/wheat-blast-affects-15500-hectares-land-5-dists-1208944
Genomics of emerging plant pathogens: too little, too late. Microbiology Todayhttp://kamounlab.dreamhosters.com/pdfs/MicrobiologyToday_2012.pdf
OpenAshDieBack http://oadb.tsl.ac.uk

Could climate change lead to more food? Increased carbon dioxide could help wheat, rice and soybeans grow more efficiently


Bringing drought and increased temperatures, climate change has been widely portrayed as a force that will leave staple food crops struggling in many areas where they are grown today.
But a new study has shown that increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may actually lead to greater yields of key crops like wheat, rice and soybeans.
Scientists say higher levels of carbon dioxide in the air helps plants build up greater biomass but can also reduce the amount of water needed to help them grow.
+3It is difficult to predict how the mixture of factors caused by global warming will impact the way crops grow around the world, but a new study shows the increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere might help crops grow more in some parts, in spite of the changing climate.
While the effects of a complex changing climate makes it difficult to predict exactly how crops in different parts of the world will grow, overall rising carbon dioxide levels could be beneficial.
Average levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have risen by more than a quarter since 1960, and now sit at around 400 parts per million.Plants take in carbon to build their tissues through photosynthesis, and if there is more carbon around, the process is easier. 

WHY PLANTS LIKE CARBON DIOXIDE

Plants take in carbon to build their tissues through photosynthesis, and if there is more carbon around, the process is easier.
Leaves take in air through tiny openings called stomata, but in the process the stomata lose water. 
When more carbon is available, they don't have to open up as much, and this saves water.
Until now most research looking into climate change has focussed on changes in temperature and rainfall. Many studies indicate that as temperatures rise, crops across the world will suffer as average temperatures become unsuitable for traditionally grown crops, and droughts, heat waves or extreme bouts of precipitation become more common.But a large team of researchers have tried to predict the combined effect of a variety of changing factors caused by climate change to take into account the increase in carbon dioxide.They introduced artificially heightened levels of carbon dioxide to farm fields, and measured the results on crop production.Although the results are complicated, their research suggests some crops might grow better in 2080.
+3Researchers have introduced artificially heightened levels of carbon dioxide to farm fields, and measured the results on the production of maize, soybeans, wheat and rice. Here, experimental plots at the University of Arizona's Maricopa Agricultural Centre.
The study looked at how rising temperatures and carbon dioxide along with changes in rainfall and cloud cover might combine to affect how efficiently maize, soybeans, wheat, and rice can use water and grow.

WHAT THE STUDY SUGGESTS 

The researchers looked at how rising temperatures and carbon dioxide along with changes in rainfall and cloud cover might combine to affect how efficiently maize, soybeans, wheat, and rice can use water and grow.The results confirmed heat and water stress alone will damage yields, but when carbon dioxide is accounted for, all four crops will use water more efficiently by 2080. Based on the current biomass of these crops, the researchers predict water-use efficiency will rise an average of 27 per cent in wheat, 18 per cent in soybeans, 13 per cent in maize, and 10 per cent in rice.This does not mean more of them will grow, however. Taking it all into account, the study projects that average yields of current rain-fed wheat areas, mostly located in higher latitudes including the US, Canada and Europe, might go up by almost 10 per cent, while consumption of water would go down a corresponding amount.
But average yields of irrigated wheat, which account for much of India and China's production, could decline by 4 per cent.Maize, according to the new projections, would still be a loser most everywhere, even with higher water efficiency yields would go down about 8.5 per cent.

It confirmed heat and water stress alone will damage yields, but when carbon dioxide is accounted for, all four crops will use water more efficiently by 2080.Based on the current biomass of these crops, the researchers predict water-use efficiency will rise an average of 27 per cent in wheat, 18 per cent in soybeans, 13 per cent in maize, and 10 per cent in rice.'To adapt adequately, we need to understand all the factors involved,' said lead author Delphine Deryng, an environmental scientist at Columbia University's Centre for Climate Systems Research, the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and the University of Chicago's Computation Institute.She said the study should not be interpreted to mean that increasing carbon dioxide is a good thing, but its direct effects must be included in any calculation of what the future holds.Taking it all into account, the study projects that average yields of current rain-fed wheat areas, mostly located in higher latitudes including the US, Canada and Europe, might go up by almost 10 per cent, while consumption of water would go down a corresponding amount.But average yields of irrigated wheat, which account for much of India and China's production, could decline by four per cent.Maize, according to the new projections, would still be a loser most everywhere, even with higher water efficiency yields would go down about 8.5 per cent.Agricultural scientists say losses could be mitigated to some extent by switching crops or developing varieties adapted to the new conditions.
+3
Average yields of current rain-fed wheat areas, mostly located in higher latitudes including the US, Canada and Europe, might go up by almost 10 per cent, and consumption of water would go down a corresponding amount. Average yields of irrigated wheat,  much of India and China's production, could decline by 4 per cent.But the researchers warned the uncertainties in the models are high, because field experiments, which involve blowing carbon dioxide over large farm fields for entire growing seasons, have only been done at a handful of sites.The study is less conclusive on the overall effects on rice and soybean yields - half of the projections show an increase in yield and half a net decline.
Bruce Kimball, a retired researcher with the US Department of Agriculture who has studied crop-carbon dioxide interactions, said the paper does 'a good job on a huge scale,' but 'more data from more crops from more locations' is needed.He also cautioned that previous research has shown that the benefits of higher carbon dioxide levels tend to bottom out after a certain point, but that the damage done by heat only gets worse as temperatures mount.'Thus, for greater warming and higher CO2 the results would likely be more pessimistic than shown in this paper,' he said