Malaysian Scientists Develop Superior Red Rice BANGI

Scientists at The National University of Malaysia (UKM) with the cooperation of Malaysia Agricultural Research and Development Institute's (MARDI) research officers have successfully produced a variety of rice which not only can increase padi yield but also has a low glyceamic index suitable for diabetics. 

Dr. R. Wickneswari Ratnam, plant genetics and biotechnology expert from the Faculty of Science and Technology, assisted by some 14 other scientists from UKM, MARDI, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Malaysia Nuclear Agency (MNA) and University of Malaya had been doing research on this since 2002 and have succeeded in producing the new padi variant "G33" named "UKMRC9" which can increase local red rice production. Wickneswari described it as a superior red rice developed through conventional breeding involving controlled cross-breeding between cultivar MR219 and wild rice Oryza rufipogon. It involved the transfer of genes of the wild type to the common paddy produced by MARDI now extensively cultivated in the country.

For more information, please go to http://fst.ukm.my/news/index.php/en/component/content/article/982-ukm-scientists-developed-high-yielding-superior-red-rice-.html