PROPOSAL

Improvement of Rice Varieties Using Marker-Assisted Selection

In Lao PDR

Introduction Rice is the stable food of the people in the Lao PDR In the year 2001, the area planted to rice was approximately 746’700 ha and accounted for about 80% of the total crop area and total rice production was about 2.3 millions metric tons of paddy rice. It was the third successive year

Rainfed Upland (21.5%)

Irrigated 13.6%

Rainfed low land (65%) Rainfed upland (12%)

Rainfed Lowland (69%)

Irrigated (19%)

Planted Rice Area Rice Production

The problem of rice cultivation

Major diseases and pest: blast, bacterial

leaf blight, gall midge, stem borer and other Drought, flood and some year both

drought and flood occurred (Rainfed)

(the central and southern regions) Low temperature (Irrigated, North)

Future Rice Improvement

• From 1999, Laos have achieved self-sufficiency in rice production, with further production increases likely to provide the country with a rice surplus for possible export.

• This expected increased production will reflect the significant expansion in the area of irrigated rice cultivation currently taking place, combined with continue increase in yield in the rainfed lowland environment as a result of increase used of improved varieties increased fertilizer use and improvements to other production practice.

The aim of the varietal improvement program is to provide Lao farmers with a range of varieties with increased yield potential, good eating quality and broad adaptability to Lao conditions.

Varietal improvement objectives

To obtain good eating quality varieties with drought tolerance

The major objective

Plant material

Donor: TDK 1Recipient: IR57514

Breeding scheme

X

IR 57514 TDK 1

IR57514 X F1

IR57514 X BC1F1

IR57514 X BC2F1

IR57514 X BC3F1

BC4F1