Wednesday, April 15, 2020

15th April ,2020 Daily Global Regional Local Rice E-Newsletter

California Rice Salmon Pilot Project Making Steady Progress
 APRIL 13, 2020 FIELD & ROW CROPS INDUSTRY
Description: https://i1.wp.com/agnetwest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Salmon-Release-32020.jpg?resize=742%2C557
·       Description: https://i1.wp.com/agnetwest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Salmon-Project-2520-2.jpg?resize=742%2C495COURTESY: JIM MORRIS, CRC
COURTESY: JIM MORRIS, CRC
The California Rice Commission’s (CRC) salmon pilot project has now entered its second year and is making steady progress in data collection.  The $1.4 million project is aimed at improving salmon populations through providing a healthy habitat and food source for the fish in California rice fields.  The project is largely being funded through USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in an effort to develop the process on a larger scale in the future.
“We want to answer all the questions that we need to answer about what exactly is it that we need the growers to do.  Is it a physical modification of the field? Is it an alteration of how they flood the field, how they drain the field, the timing of drainage?” said Paul Buttner, CRC Manager of Environmental Affairs.  “These are all the questions that we need to answer in order to work with NRCS to develop that conservation management practice.”
The salmon that are reared in winter-flooded rice fields are released and tracked on their way out to the Pacific Ocean using Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry (JSAT) tags that are surgically inserted into the fish.  The researchers have been working in eight rice plots evaluating four practices and utilizing four control plots.  One field includes deep channels, another includes vegetative structures, one field includes both deep channeling and vegetative cover, and another involves no special treatment. 
“We put approximately 9,000 fish in these eight fields – so about 1,000 fish per field – and those fish were free-swimming. So, we’re able to utilize them to test out the effectiveness of our treatments.  We also had a number of caged fish as well” Buttner explained.  “Those are the ones that we would eventually put that JSAT tag into and they would give us all the information as to their survivability out through the Golden Gate.”
Salmon that are released and tracked as they move out to the ocean alternate between fish reared in rice fields and fish that are reared in hatcheries.  The paired release study provides important data as to how the time spent in rice fields may ultimately benefit the salmon.  “We want to see the comparison as to whether more or less of our rice field fish get out to the Golden Gate as compared to an equal number of fish that do not enjoy the growth in the flood plain but rather mimic fish that would go directly from the hatchery into the river,” said Buttner.
The California rice industry has a long history of implementing various conservation practices, with tremendous work done to improve habitat for birds over the past few decades.  Using the rice fields as “surrogate wetlands” for salmon provides significant potential for carrying on that tradition.  “The Sacramento Valley is a very special place,” Buttner noted, “We want to make sure that that legacy is continued.”  
CRC has also set up a provisional means of tracking the salmon as they make their way through the water system out through Golden Gate.  As of April 10, three percent of the fish that were recently released were already out past Benicia.  NRCS has provided nearly half of the funding necessary for the salmon pilot project, with another third of the overall support being provided by Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC.  Other significant contributors to the project include the Almond Board of California, Corteva Agriscience, Valent, and Grow West.



Five Indian-Americans awarded 2020 Guggenheim fellowships

 Description: https://www.outlookindia.com/images/twitter_short.png Description: https://www.outlookindia.com/images/pinterest1.png Description: https://www.outlookindia.com/images/linkedin.png Description: https://www.outlookindia.com/images/google_plus1.png
THE NEWS SCROLL14 APRIL 2020  Last Updated at 5:16 PM | SOURCE: PTI

By Seema Hakhu Kachru (Eds: Updates with additional name)
Houston, Apr 14 (PTI) Five Indian-Americans have been awarded with a prestigious US fellowship for their accomplishments and "exceptional promise".
Pradeep Sharma, mechanical engineer at the University of Houston, Kavita Ramanan, professor of Applied Mathematics at Brown University, Dilip Da Cunha, architect, planner and teacher at Harvard University and Columbia University, Mukul Sharma, professor of Earth Sciences at Dartmouth College, and Tahera Qutbuddin, professor of Arabic Literature and Islamic Studies at the University of Chicago, have been awarded the 2020 Guggenheim fellowships.
Approximately 175 such fellowships are awarded each year. The size of grant varies and is adjusted to the needs of fellows, considering their other resources and the purpose and scope of their plans. The average grant in the 2008 Canada and United States competition was approximately USD 43,200.
This year''s fellowships recognise 173 people, selected from an initial field of 3,000.
"The Guggenheim Fellowship, came as a surprise. They are so competitive, I really didn''t expect it," Pradeep, this year''s only recipient in the engineering category, told PTI.
Pradeep, M D Anderson Chair Professor of mechanical engineering and chairman of the department, uses mathematical and computational approaches to understand physical phenomena across a number of disciplines, from materials science to biology.
He said he will use the grant to further his work on a question that has puzzled him for years: why are some people, even those not trained as musicians, able to hear a piece of music and immediately reproduce the melody on a piano or other instrument, while others cannot.
"Part of it is the brain, but the question I want to ask is, is there something structurally different in her ears that she can hear music better? I am looking for a physics explanation for her ability," he said.
Scientists have a good understanding of how the hearing mechanism works as sound waves enter the ear and move against the tiny hair cells inside. Those hair cells change the vibrations generated by the sound waves into electrical signals that are sent to the brain for decoding.
Pradeep said he will investigate to see if certain physical characteristics of those hair cells - geometry, physical properties and even electrical activity around the cells - play a role in how people understand and interpret music.
According to his varsity, Pradeep''s work has long been nationally recognised. He received the 2019 James R Rice Medal from the Society of Engineering Science for "creative contributions to understanding the science underpinning flexoelectricity and its applications to engineered and biological systems."
Tahera''s research focuses on intersections of the literary, the religious and the political in classical Arabic poetry and prose.
The Guggenheim fellowships honours artists, writers, scholars and scientific researchers, who are chosen based on their previous accomplishments and what foundation officials describe as their "exceptional promise".
The Guggeinheim Foundation has granted more than USD 375 million in fellowships to over 18,000 individuals since the fellowships began in 1925.
Recipients include Nobel laureates, Fields Medalists, poets laureate, members of the national academies and winners of the Pulitzer Prize, Bancroft Prize, Turing Award and National Book Awards, among other honours. PTI SHK MRJ MRJ

Favourable monsoon could give farmers some hope: Scientists

India receives about 70% of its annual rainfall during the monsoon season, which usually begins in June before starting to retreat by September. The monsoon rainfall is crucial to rice, wheat, sugarcane and oilseeds cultivation in the country, where farming accounts for about 15% of the economy and employs over half of its people.

INDIA Updated: Apr 14, 2020 11:41 IST

Jayashree Nandi
Hindustan Times, New Delhi
Description: According to a climate scientist at Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, global agencies unanimously indicating normal monsoon rains for June to September is good news.
According to a climate scientist at Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, global agencies unanimously indicating normal monsoon rains for June to September is good news. (HT File )
Indian farmers may be suffering because of the nationwide lockdown imposed since March 25 to check the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak that has disrupted supply chains. But global weather models may have something to lift their spirits, as they are suggesting that the monsoon will be normal this year and may set in a day or two early.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) is expected to issue its monsoon forecast later this week.
India receives about 70% of its annual rainfall during the monsoon season, which usually begins in June before starting to retreat by September. The monsoon rainfall is crucial to rice, wheat, sugarcane and oilseeds cultivation in the country, where farming accounts for about 15% of the economy and employs over half of its people.
Global weather models are numerical weather prediction models run by various agencies. The seasonal forecasting of the southwest monsoon is done with the help of statistical and dynamical models.
IBM’s The Weather Company, a private weather forecasting company, has said that the monsoon is likely to set in slightly earlier than normal on May 31 as against June 1 and the above normal rain at 105% of the long-period average (LPA) is likely. “Uncalibrated climate model forecasts suggest an unusually wet monsoon season this year although our calibrated and bias-corrected model suggests a lesser degree of dryness. We’re expecting a transition from weak El Niño conditions towards La Nina conditions as we progress through the monsoon season, which will favour a large-scale atmospheric pattern that will become increasingly conducive to heavier rainfall later in the season,” the company said in a statement.
La Nina is associated with a strong monsoon and above-average rains in India while El Niño is a climate pattern characterised by high sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean. El Niño years in India are linked to below-normal monsoon rains and higher than normal frequency of heatwaves. Last year, weak El Niño conditions prevailed and led to a delayed onset of the monsoon.
“Our observations suggest more rains in south-western parts of the country and lower rains in northwestern India,” said Himanshu Goyal, India business leader, The Weather Company.
Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate scientist at Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, said global agencies unanimously indicate normal monsoon rains for June to September, which is good news. “This is largely based on the favourable conditions in the Pacific as there is no coherent sign of an El Niño developing during the early stage of the monsoon. El Niño, if present, can weaken the moisture carrying monsoon winds and reduce the rainfall received.”
The rain in the pre-monsoon period has also been above average, which experts say will help improve and retain soil moisture and help with sowing in some parts of the country. From March 1 to April 12, central India received 165% and north-western parts 52% excess rain even as eastern and the north-eastern parts are 44% deficient, according to IMD.
Ocean temperatures in the equatorial Indian Ocean are forecasted to be warmer than normal, which has the potential to reduce monsoon rains. “Our analysis has shown that such conditions can have an adverse impact on monsoon rains over central-north India. The significance of the Indian Ocean is increasing year by year as it is warming rapidly due to increasing carbon emissions. Forecast models do not generally pick this link between the warm Indian Ocean and the monsoon rains,” Koll said, clarifying that his analysis is not a forecast.
The warm Indian Ocean could also trigger cyclones during the onset of monsoon.
Air pollution levels have reduced in India and across the world due to Covid-19 lockdown restrictions and this is also likely to impact the monsoon. There have been scientific studies that show high air pollution levels have led to a decline in monsoon rains over the past decades.
“I don’t know if the models are factoring in this new scenario with less pollution,” Koll said.
M Rajeevan, secretary, Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, said there is no El Niño influence this year and the government will share full details of the onset and monsoon performance in their forecast later this week.
Mahesh Palawat, vice-president, climate and meteorology at Skymet Weather, a private weather forecasting agency, said there is some warming in the eastern pacific but as the monsoon progresses, there will be a likely movement towards La Nina or low sea surface temperatures across the east-central Equatorial Pacific.
“The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is also negative. High temperatures are already being recorded in central and western India. Rain in the pre-monsoon period has also been good. All these factors indicate that it is likely to be normal or slightly above normal monsoon.”
IOD is characterised by warmer sea surface temperature in the equatorial Indian Ocean; positive IOD conditions are associated with normal monsoon.
Skymet Weather will not issue a monsoon forecast this year because its services have been impacted by the ongoing lockdown restrictions. “Our modelling teams haven’t able to run these models from home. Also, last year, none of the weather agencies got the monsoon forecast right. We also plan to reflect on what’s going wrong with monsoon forecasts,” Palawat said.
After a delayed onset of the south-west monsoon on June 8 last year and very little rain in June due to presence of a weak El Niño, there were fears among meteorologists that it would be a drought year. June ended with a deficit of 33% but July, August and September received 105%, 115% and 152% of their LPA, respectively.
The IMD announced monsoon withdrawal on September 30 last year with cumulative rainfall of 110% of the LPA.
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·       Monsoon

·       India

·       IMD

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Description: India likely to have a normal monsoon this year, predicts IMD

Golden Rice: The Imperiled Birth of a GMO Superfood

Millions of people are blinded or die every year from diets low in nutrition. This fine and informative book explores one effort to find a remedy for vitamin deficiency. With private financing from the United States, European scientists began three decades ago to try to breed a strain of genetically modified rice that contains beta carotene, a precursor to vitamin A. By 2002, they had succeeded, creating a variety known as “golden rice” thanks to its color. But nearly 20 years later, only Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States—whose populations already have adequate levels of vitamin A in their diets—have allowed the release of this rice. Many official obstacles sit in the way of the spread of golden rice, with even approval for field trials difficult to secure. Regis shows that although nongovernmental organizations and activist groups such as Greenpeace have generated much emotional opposition to genetically modified organisms, it is government regulations and the glacial pace of plant breeding that have delayed the introduction of golden rice to the parts of the world where it would be most beneficial.



Longevity gene discovered in plants
APRIL 14, 2020

Description: flowerCredit: CC0 Public Domain
Harvesting rice from the same field, without planting new rice plants? A discovery may bring this scenario closer. Leiden scientists have discovered a gene that allows annual plants to grow after flowering, instead of dying. Publication on 13 April in Nature Plants.
Plants have growing points on their stems. These are groups of stem cells that can form new stems with leaves or flowers. In perennial plants, a number of those growing points remain vegetative, so that after flowering the plant can continue to grow in the next season. In annual plants, this does not happen and the plant dies (see box). At the Institute of Biology Leiden, Remko Offringa, professor of Plant developmental genetics, and his team have discovered a gene that determines whether growing points of a plant will remain vegetative after flowering.
Life-extending effect
In the study, the researchers used the typical annual model plant thale cress, Arabidopsis thaliana. First author Omid Karami demonstrated during his doctoral research how the so-called AHL15 gene works. He overexpressed the gene in Arabidopsis so that it is much more active than normal. As with perennial plants, in the modified Arabidopsis plants some growing points remain in the vegetative phase. The plants continue to grow after flowering and can blossom several times. When the researchers disabled the gene, they noticed that the plants had a shorter lifespan than normal. By doing so, they demonstrate that the AHL15 gene, which they have named REJUVENATOR, regulates plant longevity.
Multiple harvests
The discovery of the gene contributes to fundamental knowledge about plant life history and -ageing, says Offringa. The gene may also provide answers to the question of why during evolution certain species have become annuals and others have become perennial. According to Offringa, practical applications are also conceivable, such as for agriculture. Many food crops, like rice and wheat, are annuals. Keeping some growing points vegetative in such a crop would allow the plants to continue to grow after harvesting. This may allow for several harvests from the same crop and thus to increase the yield per plant. Farmers also have to plough less often when they grow plants that bloom more often. As a result, the soil biome will remain intact, which fits well with sustainable production in agriculture.
Plants grow and develop leaves during the vegetative phase. Under the influence of changes in daylight and temperature, plants switch to the reproductive phase at a certain point. They develop flowers and produce seeds for reproduction. Some plants—including all annuals—die after flowering. Most perennial plants after flowering re-enter the vegetative phase in the following season. They develop new leaves through growing points located on the stem. Next, they can go into a new reproductive phase.

2020 Rice Awards Application Open  

ARLINGTON, VA -- USA Rice, in conjunction with Horizon Ag and Rice Farming magazine, is seeking nominations for the 2020 Rice Awards to recognize rice leaders who exemplify dedication, determination, and innovation to the industry.

The Rice Awards honor outstanding industry leaders from three distinct categories:  Rice Farmer of the Year, Rice Industry Award, and the Rice Lifetime Achievement Award.  To nominate a candidate for one of these prestigious awards, complete the application form by June 30 and follow the submission instructions listed there.

The award recipients will be recognized at the USA Rice Outlook Conference in Austin, Texas, December 9-11, 2020.  They also will be featured in a special insert of the December issue of Rice Farming.

The recipients of last year's Rice Awards were Rice Farmer of the Year, Jennifer James who runs the H&J Land Company in Jackson County, Arkansas; Rice Industry Award, Jim F. Cook with Colusa County Farm Supply (CCFS) in Williams, California; and Rice Lifetime Achievement Award, Dr. Ford Baldwin, a native Arkansan with a life-long connection to the state's
agriculture, best known for his noteworthy research on Command herbicide and the Clearfield Rice Production System.  

Go 
here for more information on the nomination process and for a complete list of past winners.


COVID-19: Border closure, lockdown boosts rice, local produce demand


 
By

Rice farmers in Nigeria appear to be raking in huge sales amid the coronavirus pandemic following the government’s closure of all borders.
Expectedly, the price of the commodity increased globally due to higher demands for Thai rice and those of other major nations renowned for sale of the staple food.
However, it appears that export disruptions caused by the COVID-19 crisis in Asia have benefitted African producers.
Recall that before now the Asian continent produced about 90 per cent of the world’s rice supply and consumed the same amount.
Aside Thailand, affected countries include China, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia and Vietnam.
Currently, the countries are stockpiling agricultural commodities, a situation that has become advantageous to Nigerian rice farmers, experts say.
In a chat with the Economic Confidential on Tuesday, the National Chairman of Rice Processors Association of Nigeria (RIPAN), Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Maifata, said rice farmers and millers and other processors have been vindicated.
He commended President Muhammadu Buhari administration for the partial border closure in 2019 that boosted local food production and massive investment in the agricultural sector.
The RIFAN Chairman said that their advice to the federal authorities not to reopen the borders has yielded the desired results as the amount of foreign rice smuggled into Nigeria has reduced significantly.
Maifata said: “We are aware that in some of the Asian countries including India, rice traders have stopped signing new export contracts as labour shortages and logistical disruptions hamper the delivery of existing contracts. The Vietnamese government has also put in export curbs.
“The federal government under the leadership of President Buhari must be commended for taking decisive measures to revive the agricultural sector through border closure and other incentives.
“I can confidently tell you that the level of smuggling foreign rice will soon come down to zero level. I can also assure Nigerians that local farmers can fill the gap conveniently.
“Apart from the fact that the development has helped our local processing industry to work at full capacity and farmers being able to sell all that they produce, many more citizens are now encouraged to invest in farming”, Maifata added.
Spokesperson of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Joseph Attah, said with the border closure, rice seizures have continued unabated even as the onslaught against smugglers persists.
“We are glad that our rice farmers, processors and millers are doing very well in mass food production. They are daily smiling to the banks and our operations have been successful so far”, Attah added.
He urged all stakeholders to join in the campaign against the activities of smugglers through advocacy and sensitization to ensure attitudinal change on the part of the outlaws.





Calrose Rice Market Outlook: Poised For a Strong 2020 | Basmati Rice, Far West Rice, Hinode Rice


Calrose Rice
3 Reasons Why Calrose Rice Market Market May Still Earn Its Estimates for 2025
Calrose Rice Market - Opportunity Ahead of Earnings”
— Nidhi Bhawsar
NEW JERSEY, NEW JERSEY, UNITED STATES, April 7, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Advance Market Analytics released the research report of Global Calrose Rice Market, offers a detailed overview of the factors influencing the global business scope. Calrose Rice Market research report shows the latest market insights with upcoming trends and breakdown of the products and services. The report provides key statistics on the market status, size, share, growth factors of the Calrose Rice. This Report covers the emerging player’s data, including: competitive situation, sales, revenue and global market share of top manufacturers are California Family Foods (United States),American Commodity Company (United States),Farmers' Rice Cooperative (United States),Pacific International Rice Mills (United States),Coztrix (New Zealand),Basmati Rice GmbH (Germany),Doguet's Rice Milling Company (United States),Far West Rice (United States),Hinode Rice (United States),Sun Valley Rice (United States),Metalmax (United States),Avrevs Farms (United States).
Calrose rice is a common American style of rice that is grown predominately in California. Calrose rice is a type of medium-grain rice that is used in several cuisines because of its softness and stickiness. Because of these properties the flavors are well absorbed. Calrose rice stay together in soups and salads, holding its own among other ingredients. It has no fat content. Calrose rice is also low in calories. There are multiple nutritional benefits to Calrose Rice, which includes no fat, low calorie and great source of carbohydrates. The rice is not as gummy but stays relatively soft when cool, unlike long grain rice.
Market Trends: Technological Advancements Related To Process and Methodologies of Handling Calrose Rice
Market Drivers: Innovation Encircling the Food and Beverage Industry
Restraints: Not a Good Source of Cholesterol
Challenges: Main Challenge Is Keeping It Free Of Dust, Insects, Bugs and Other Contaminants
Lacks in Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Calcium and Iron
The Global Calrose Rice Market segments and Market Data Break Down are illuminated below:
by Type (Brown Rice, White Rice), Application (Household, Commercial), Distribution Channel (Online, Offline), Pack Size (2lb - 5lb, 10lb - 20lb, More than 20lb)
….
….
Region Included are: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Oceania, South America, Middle East & Africa
Country Level Break-Up: United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, South Africa, Nigeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Germany, United Kingdom (UK), the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Turkey, Russia, France, Poland, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, India, Australia and New Zealand etc.
Strategic Points Covered in Table of Content of Global Calrose Rice Market:
Chapter 1: Introduction, market driving force product Objective of Study and Research Scope the Calrose Rice market
Chapter 2: Exclusive Summary – the basic information of the Calrose Rice Market.
Chapter 3: Displaying the Market Dynamics- Drivers, Trends and Challenges of the Calrose Rice
Chapter 4: Presenting the Calrose Rice Market Factor Analysis Porters Five Forces, Supply/Value Chain, PESTEL analysis, Market Entropy, Patent/Trademark Analysis.
Chapter 5: Displaying the by Type, End User and Region 2013-2018
Chapter 6: Evaluating the leading manufacturers of the Calrose Rice market which consists of its Competitive Landscape, Peer Group Analysis, BCG Matrix & Company Profile
Chapter 7: To evaluate the market by segments, by countries and by manufacturers with revenue share and sales by key countries in these various regions.
Chapter 8 & 9: Displaying the Appendix, Methodology and Data Source
Finally, Calrose Rice Market is a valuable source of guidance for individuals and companies.
Data Sources & Methodology
The primary sources involves the industry experts from the Global Calrose Rice Market including the management organizations, processing organizations, analytics service providers of the industry’s value chain. All primary sources were interviewed to gather and authenticate qualitative & quantitative information and determine the future prospects.
In the extensive primary research process undertaken for this study, the primary sources – Postal Surveys, telephone, Online & Face-to-Face Survey were considered to obtain and verify both qualitative and quantitative aspects of this research study. When it comes to secondary sources Company's Annual reports, press Releases, Websites, Investor Presentation, Conference Call transcripts, Webinar, Journals, Regulators, National Customs and Industry Associations were given primary weight-age.
What benefits does AMA research studies provides?
• Supporting company financial and cash flow planning
• Open up New Markets
• To Seize powerful market opportunities
• Key decision in planning and to further expand market share
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Definitively, this report will give you an unmistakable perspective on every single reality of the market without a need to allude to some other research report or an information source. Our report will give all of you the realities about the past, present, and eventual fate of the concerned Market.
Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.
About Author:
Advance Market Analytics is Global leaders of Market Research Industry provides the quantified B2B research to Fortune 500 companies on high growth emerging opportunities which will impact more than 80% of worldwide companies' revenues.
Our Analyst is tracking high growth study with detailed statistical and in-depth analysis of market trends & dynamics that provide a complete overview of the industry. We follow an extensive research methodology coupled with critical insights related industry factors and market forces to generate the best value for our clients. We Provides reliable primary and secondary data sources, our analysts and consultants derive informative and usable data suited for our clients business needs. The research study enable clients to meet varied market objectives a from global footprint expansion to supply chain optimization and from competitor profiling to M&As.