RICE IMPROVEMENT PROJECT PROGRESS

1. RICE IMPROVEMENT PROJECT PROGRESS BY HUNJA MURAGE JKUAT

2. Objectives • Main goal is to Improve food security in Kenya through improving rice production • Specific objectives; • Documentation of the constraints and obstacles to achieving maximum rice productivity in Kenya and the expected intervention measures. • Increasing the productivity of basmati rice through breeding for increased grain number, resistance to lodging by dwarfing and resistance to blast through phenotypic and later genotypic selection (Targets: HB23/Basmati hybrids; Upland rice hybrids) • Increasing the productivity of basmati rice through rice blast suppression using epiphytes, rhizobacteria and actinomycetes as biotic agents and using endophytes as growth promoters. • Food quality and agricultural products value addition through utilization rice bran, broken rice in of rice straw and rice husks. • Reducing post harvest losses through improved threshing • Increasing water use efficiency in rice production through increased adoption of technologies such as SRI, subsurface drip irrigation, and AWD • Reconstruction of rice gene bank at Mwea to conserve the Kenyan's rice germplasm • To determine the Nitrogen dynamics of Kenya rice soils for optimum rice production • Assessment of the impact of the introduced intervention measures on rice production within regions under study

3. Outputs • Information has been obtained on the obstacles facing Kenyan rice farmers in the rice value chain. Some of this information has been availed to other researchers through presentations. • Basmati is the most popular aromatic variety in Kenya but has a very low productivity of 2.8 tons/ha compared to other aromatic varieties at 5.5 tons/ha. By selection of the HB23x basmati crosses, new Basmati Hybrid improved lines with over 3000 filled grains/plant and over 40tillers/plant at F4 generation have been developed compared to 1100 filled grains /plant and less than 25 tillers/plant for basmati. • Improved Basmati lines resistant to lodging have been developed. • Improved LIA lines that require no fertilizer inputs for normal growth and yields have been developed and are in the F9 generation. • Biotic isolates active against the blast pathogen and those with bio-fertilizer ability have been obtained and their field performance is on course. • Senbakoki which farmers in Mwea have agreed to adopt. • The farmers have reported a reduction in breakage of rice seeds during. • The rice gene bank has been reconstructed and rice germplasm collection done. This is expected to offer a wide gene pool for breeding purposes. The rice breeders will use conserved germplasm for rice improvement. Erosion of the local rice gene pool will be stopped because there will be backed up germplasm in the gene bank. • Ways of utilizing husks as energy source has been developed. The rice husk stove, the briquetting machine and the carbonizing kilns will go a long way in revolutionizing the energy requirements in the rice growing regions. • The value added products from broken rice will serve as alternative income and food source for farmers and consumers.

4. RESULTS / OUTPUTS 1.Documentation of the constraints and obstacles to achieving maximum rice productivity in Kenya • A Social Survey was conducted from June to September 2011 in the rice growing areas. • In Mwea Irrigation Scheme 302 farmer respondents were interviewed. The following are some of the findings; • The average land holding is 2.83 acre per household, ranging from 0 to 15.25 acres. Source of rice seeds

5. Impact of rice blast Farmers that have been affected by the rice blast disease Perception on rice blast disease susceptibility in various rice varieties

6. Rice blast disease mapping • Geographical distribution of rice blast disease in Mwea region

7. 2. Increasing the productivity of basmati rice through breeding for increased grain number, resistance to lodging by dwarfing and resistance to blast through phenotypic and later genotypic selection (HB23*Basmati hybrids and LIA) x Tillers No. 18 Culm.L 97 Panicle.L. 21 Filled Grains 1194 Panicle No. 14 x Habataki parent O. Longistaminata parent Basmati370 parent T- 65 Parent Tillers 26.4 Culm .L 71.7 P. L 23.8 Tillers No. 72 Culm.L 93 Panicle.L. 26 Filled Grains 3692 Panicle No. 71 Tillers No. 50 Culm.L 93 Panicle.L. 23 Filled Grains 3395 Panicle No. 49 Hybrids from the crosses LIA LINE UNDER EVALUATION

8. Agronomic characteristics of the HB23x Basmati hybrid selection during the F3 generation Agronomic traits of the LIA selection during the F6 generation

9. Evaluation of HB23 x Basmati F3 hybrid selections at Mwea Evaluation of LIA F5 selections at JKUAT rice experimental field

10. 3. Screening Epiphytes, Rhizobacteria and Actinomycete as biotic agents for rice blast suppression and as growth promoters Screening the bacterial and fungal isolates for bio-fertilizer activities + + - IAA production test Phosphate Solubilization test Screening the Actinomycete isolates for antifungal activity against rice blast M.grisea Actinomycetes Isolate 4 Isolate 5 Growth Inhibition Zone

11. 4. Food quality and agricultural products value addition through utilization of rice straw and rice husks for energy and broken rice for value added products Kilns for carbonizing Carbonized rice husks Compression briquetting machine Rice husks Rice husks gasifier stove Briquettes Fabricated briquetting machine Briquettes Broken rice Rice flour Rice noodles Rice flour filled sausages Rice flour mixed breads Rice crackers Garlic flavoured

12. 5:Reducing post harvest losses through improved threshing Units of Senbakoki fabricated in JKUAT and disseminated to Mwea for evaluation Farmers in Mwea using the Senbakoki thresher during rice harvesting

13. 6. Increasing water use efficiency in rice production through increased adoption of technologies such as SRI, subsurface drip irrigation, and AWD SRI and AWD Testing water and crop management technologies under greenhouse conditions

14. The reconstruction of the old rice gene bank at Mwea The structure which was being used as a rice gene bank at Mwea The reconstructed rice gene bank at Mwea The condition inside the old rice gene bank at Mwea

15. Evaluation of the purity of the local rice varieties in the field and under greenhouse conditions at JKUAT Collected local varieties Planting in the field Local varieties in the field at flowering stage Local varieties in greenhouse at vegetative stage Phenotypic characterization of Local rice varieties at the JKUAT rice experimental field

16. 8.To determine the Nitrogen dynamics of Kenya rice soils for optimum rice production Determining nutrient losses through leaching and vaporization Determining nutrient losses through leaching Leachate collection tubes Rice plants ready for harvesting

17. Field preparation for evaluation of Nitrogen dynamics of Kenya Percolation measurement- drain pipe for collection of leachate and lysimeter for percolation measurement

18. Acknowledgement We appreciate the National council for Science and Technology (NCST) for providing financial support to this project and Jomo Kenyatta University (JKUAT) for providing space on which to carry out the project