Biotech Updates

Indonesia Develops New Rice Varieties to Fight Bacterial Blight

May 11, 2007

Bacterial blight (BB) disease of rice is caused by Xanthomonas oryzae. It is one of the most important diseases of rice in most of the rice growing countries. The Indonesian Agricultural Biotechnology and Genetic Resources Research Institute in collaboration with the Indonesian Institute for Rice Research, the West Java Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technology and the Agricultural Office of Cianjur have developed by conventional breeding methods new rice varieties with improved tolerance to BB, the Angke and Code varieties.

“With the using of superior varieties as Angke and Code, Indonesia will have a big opportunity to increase the national rice production and also meet the government target for rice self sufficiency,” said Dr. Sutrisno, Head of Indonesian Agricultural Biotechnology and Genetic Resources Research Institute.

Visit http://www.litbang.deptan.go.id/berita/one/463/ or contact Elfa Hermawan at l4hermawan@yahoo.com for more information.