MANILA, Philippines?Amid all the reports of an impending rice shortage, a study on efficient breeding of desired rice plants in the online journal PLoS ONE caught my eye.

Published March 19, the paper describes a way to transfer desired traits from one rice plant to several rice strains such as indica (the group under which most Philippine rice varieties fall) and japonica (rice varieties that prefer the climate in places like Japan, South Korea and Europe) faster. The work could lead to Filipino farmers growing higher-yielding and more nutritional varieties in rice fields.

Helping ease rice shortage

It may not be the single, simple solution, but it could help ease long-term rice shortage.

The study is authored by researchers from Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology (MPI) in Germany and the International Rice Research Institute (Irri) here in Los Baños.

Researchers in other fields can relate to the challenges and frustrations associated with finding that one desired plant and then replicating it over and over again. Take Morie Sawataishi?s quest to breed the perfect Akita in Martha Sherrill?s book, ?Dog Man: An Uncommon Life on a Faraway Mountain,? for example. His work helped restore the Akita breed from near-extinction in post-World War II Japan, but Sawataishi found he couldn?t predict what traits would be passed on from the parents to a puppy, much less to all the puppies in the same litter.

While the Japanese dog lover was trying to find the Akita with the right face, ears and spirit, the MPI and Irri researchers wanted to know what genes were turned off to get the rice plant characteristics they wanted and how to keep them inactive.

Silenced gene

Based on previous work by molecular biologist and study lead author Norman Warthmann, the scientists developed a technique by which an amiRNA or artificial construct could make its way over to a targeted gene in the rice plant and ?silence? it to prevent the gene from making more copies of itself. The amiRNA was designed so specifically, it didn?t affect any other genes.

To demonstrate how quickly and effectively the new technique worked, the scientists used a gene that had been naturally inactivated in a strain of japonica rice. Rice plants with this silenced gene are useful for hybrid seed production. Warthmann and his colleagues showed that they could develop an amiRNA that specifically targeted and turned off that same gene in other rice varieties. Within weeks, they had rice plants with similar characteristics as the original japonica plant.

Benefit rice farmers

In contrast, they noted, cultivating the same silenced gene in indica rice varieties without using the technique took a number of years.

Warthmann and his colleagues showed they could turn off three genes in indica and japonica rice varieties for their study. The results suggest the technique could be used to benefit rice farmers everywhere. The researchers also say farmers who cultivate other crops could benefit as well.

Given Irri?s commitment to developing higher-yielding rice plants that can tolerate various environmental conditions and pests, it?s likely amiRNAs will be used in the battle to curb the anticipated rice shortage. How long it will take these new rice varieties to reach farmers, and by extension, the consumers, is another matter.

Recent funding incentives could help speed up the timeline, though. In late January, Irri became the recipient of a $20-million technology transfer grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Over a three-year period, the funds will be used to move higher-yielding rice varieties bred to withstand environmental stressors such as floods or droughts out of the lab and into the farmers? hands sooner.

E?mail the author at massie@massie.com.