24th dec 2015 daily exclusive oryza rice e newlwtter by riceplus magazine

24th Dec,2015

Merry Christmas from Oryza!

Dec 24, 2015 Oryza editorial team is working limited hours this week and will be back in full force Monday.

Our best wishes to you and your families!

Government of Thailand to Restrict Water Supplies for Off-Season Rice Crop Dec 23, 2015 The Royal Irrigation Department (RID) of Thailand plans to stop water supplies to the off-season rice crop in 22 provinces of the Chao Phraya Basin due to a likely prolonged drought conditions in the coming months, according to local sources.

Local provincial officials have been sent notices to stop releasing water to off-season rice growing areas as they are likely to consume water in high volumes.

The RID's Deputy Director-General urged all the provincial authorities to follow the irrigation department's water management plan to help the country survive the predicted drought until the next rainy season, which normally begins in July every year.

The Department has decided to shut all 365 sluice gates in order to maintain 4 billion cubic meters of water remaining in the four major dams in the basin. It will reportedly release 15.6 million cubic meters of water per day until July. This measure will ensure sufficient supplies for consumption and growing vegetables, said the RID official.

Off-season rice currently covers about 1.28 million rai (around 204,800 hectares) in the Chao Phraya River Basin. The RID official noted that some farmers planted off-season rice despite the government advise. "The department will not bow to any further protests by rice farmers if they use up the remaining water in the canals," he said.

The extending drought conditions are likely to lower the Thai paddy rice production to around 22.98 million tons in 2015-16, down about 30% from around 32.62 million tons last year. Output from off-season crop is expected to fall by 48% due to heavy water shortages.

In An Exclusive Interview with Oryza, Scientist Discusses Discovery of Stress Hormone Crucial in Containing Rice Blast Disease Dec 23, 2015

Scientists from the University of Delaware (UD) have found means to contain the fungus that causes rice blast disease. The team led by Dr.Harsh Bais earlier found that EA105 bacterium, which lives in the soil around the roots of rice plants, can trigger a system-wide defense against the rice blast fungus. In a latest development, they discovered that a stress hormone called abscisic acid can play a crucial role in increasing the virulence of the fungus.

In an exclusive interview to Oryza, Dr.Harsh tells about his research and further plans.

Oryza: How is your new research helpful in controlling the rice blast disease?

Dr.Harsh: We found that abscisic acid (ABA) plays a critical role in pathogenesis of rice blast fungus. Mutating ABA biosynthetic gene in M. oryzae impairs rice blast to infect rice plants. We think and speculate that ABA bigness could be used as a target to impair M. oryzae’ pathogenies.

Antifungal agents that could target ABA cluster in rice blast pathogen could hold the answer to control rice blast.

Oryza: What is the role of 'abscisic acid' in controlling the rice blast fungus?

Dr.Harsh: Per our observations and findings, ABA regulates both spore germination and appressoria formation in M. oryzae. It is known that formation of appressoria is a critical virulence factor in the pathogenesis of M oryzae.

Oryza: Is the current research an extension to your previous research on the rice blast fungus?

Dr.Harsh: Yes, we have been working on this tritrophic interaction for last 6 years, we found a benign isolate from rice rhizosphere that reduces blast infections in rice. The bacterial isolate also attenuates ABA biogenesis in rice blast.

Oryza: What are the conditions under which your findings are more applicable/effective?

Dr. Harsh: The ultimate test of our work lies in field settings. We haven’t done any field trials yet and that’s something we would like to do next.

Oryza: How are you planning to share your findings with rice growers across the world?

Dr.Harsh: Yes, that’s the intention. Some discussion is already up in chains to work with corporate sectors to test our findings under field conditions.

Oryza: What are your plans for further research in this area?

Dr.Harsh: We are interested in the field of “biologicals”, the approach that we have used is developed as the new product line by various private companies. The utilization of beneficial microbes to enhance crop productivity is a green solution for sustainable agricultural practices.

We will strive to work in the area of crop microbiome by testing the isolates under field conditions for both blast and Arsenic take in rice. The dissection of mechanisms that beneficial bacteria adapts to attenuate rice blast infection is also something that we are interested in.

Indonesia Considers Rice Imports from India, Says Trade Minister Dec 23, 2015 Indonesia is likely to import rice from India, local sources quoted the Trade Minister.

The Minister reportedly informed the Indian Ambassador that the Indonesian President has decided to include India in the list of countries with which the government authorizes rice imports. He noted that Indonesia is also planning to import pharmaceuticals and bovine meat from India.

Both the governments are likely to strike a deal shortly. The Indian Embassy in Jakarta has been for long striving to sign a government-to-government (G2G) rice export deal with Indonesia. “Given the steadfast relationship between the two countries, India will standby with Indonesia to overcome the rice shortage due to drought,� said the Indian Ambassador to Indonesia in a statement.

The development is a positive move for India, which has a huge trade deficit with Indonesia.

While the bilateral trade between India and Indonesia stood at $19 billion in 2014-15, the trade deficit during the same period was around $11 billion.

Indonesia to Continue Rice Market Operations Until Prices Stabilize at $612 per ton, Says Bulog Official Dec 23, 2015 Indonesia's state logistics agency has distributed about 53,000 tons of rice in Jakarta and about 25,000 tons of rice in other parts of the country as part of the rice market operations in introduced in November this year to control price hikes, according to local sources.

The rice market operations were conducted with an aim of stabilizing the price of medium-class rice, which has been increasing since May 2015 on concerns of lower production due to drought.

Currently, prices have reached a high of Rp 10,633 per kilogram (around $784 per ton).

The Director of Operations and Public Service at Bulog told reporters that the national rice prices remained relatively stable after the market operations. He noted that the agency planned for distributing about 75,000 tons of rice in Jakarta and 300,000 tons across the country as part of the program.

The official told that the agency would continue to conduct market operations to ensure adequate supply of rice ahead of Christmas and New Year.

He also assured that the market operations would continue until the price of the medium-quality rice stabilizes at Rp 8,300 per kilogram ($612 per ton), in accordance with the price at which Bulog usually sells rice to the public.

Indonesia to Continue Rice Market Operations Until Prices Stabilize at $612 per ton, Says Bulog Official Dec 23, 2015 Indonesia's state logistics agency has distributed about 53,000 tons of rice in Jakarta and about 25,000 tons of rice in other parts of the country as part of the rice market operations in introduced in November this year to control price hikes, according to local sources.

The rice market operations were conducted with an aim of stabilizing the price of medium-class rice, which has been increasing since May 2015 on concerns of lower production due to drought.

Currently, prices have reached a high of Rp 10,633 per kilogram (around $784 per ton).

The Director of Operations and Public Service at Bulog told reporters that the national rice prices remained relatively stable after the market operations. He noted that the agency planned for distributing about 75,000 tons of rice in Jakarta and 300,000 tons across the country as part of the program.

The official told that the agency would continue to conduct market operations to ensure adequate supply of rice ahead of Christmas and New Year.

He also assured that the market operations would continue until the price of the medium-quality rice stabilizes at Rp 8,300 per kilogram ($612 per ton), in accordance with the price at which Bulog usually sells rice to the public.

Daily Exclusvie ORYZA Rice E-Newsletter by Riceplus Magazine

www.ricepluss.com www.riceplusmagazine.blogspot.com