Country of the month - South Korea May 2019

 

The Government of the Republic of Korea has been collaborating with IRRI through the Rural Development Administration (RDA) since the 1960s. Their works include breeding of the temperate Japonica rice variety with the tropically grown indica variety. This produced the rice variety Tongil, which transformed Korea from a rice importer to a self-sufficient producer.

The South Korea-IRRI collaboration brought the Green Revolution to the country and helped transform Korea from a rice importer to a self-sufficient rice producer. Since then, Korea, has supported IRRI and completed 43 projects.

In December 2001, following a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between RDA and IRRI the previous year, the IRRI office in South Korea was formally inaugurated. In 2010, RDA committed USD 2.09 million for cooperation, training, and support to INGER and other ongoing projects.

The partnership between Korea and IRRI continues to flourish. RDA and IRRI signed a new rice research agreement to develop a collaborative work plan for 2014-2015, which includes the approval of new project proposals. Among the priority areas of research in the new agreement are the development of abiotic stresses and disease tolerance in temperate japonica, and the development of rice cultivars with tolerance to high temperature.

Key research areas in the IRRI-RDA collaboration include developing cold-tolerant rice lines, rapid multiplication of seeds, exchanging rice genetic materials for large-scale planting, and developing high-quality and high-yielding temperate japonica rice lines. IRRI is also interested in developing the capacity of farm workers and extension officers in South Korea, and building the scientific human capital of the country.

Research Collaborations

Germplasm Utilization Value Added (GUVA) Project

GUVA is a breeding program for developing high-yielding, high-quality, and high-value temperate japonica rice cultivars adapted to tropical regions. In addition to helping boost farmers’ income, it aims to use germplasm toward improving the diversity of japonica for large-scale tropical ecosystems. GUVA developed photo-insensitive japonica rice cultivars with cold tolerance and high-grain quality adaptable in tropical regions.

As of 2014, several promising lines have been developed and undergoing continuous evaluation for stability across seasons as well as for responses to pests, disease, and environmental stresses. In 2015, RDA and IRRI started the second phase of the project, GUVA Traits of Japonica Rice. GUVA Phase 2 will continue to evaluate the promising lines from the previous phase toward eventual release of new japonica varieties.

Korean Seed Multiplication Project (KSMP)

KSMP is a joint effort between RDA and IRRI that has been running for almost 5 decades. Multiplication of Korean rice seed in the Philippines has enabled Korea to accelerate its research programs and shorten the time required to develop new rice varieties.

A major achievement of KSMP is the development of the cultivar Tongil, which was instrumental in helping South Korea achieve self-sufficiency in rice. Many other premium quality cultivars, such as Gopumbyeo and Unkwangbyeo, were developed through the project.

In 2013-14, 1,600 pedigree lines were brought from RDA to IRRI. In 2014, 5,134 lines were transported back to RDA. Potential lines were used as parents for the next season and will undergo further evaluation by breeders under the GUVA project.

International Network for Genetic Evaluation of Rice (INGER)

South Korea has been an active participant in INGER’s germplasm exchange and evaluation activities for 40 years. More than 30,000 breeding lines were shared and evaluated and over

a thousand were used in local varietal improvement programs. In 2011-15, 40 sets of 10 types of INGER nursery entries were sent to RDA and 1,826 elite breeding lines were evaluated for adaptation to various ecosystems as well as screened for resistance to biotic stresses and tolerance for abiotic stresses. An additional 6,407 breeding lines from IRRI were sent to RDA over the same period.

Through INGER, South Korean rice breeders acquired valuable germplasm for improving japonica rice breeding in terms of resistance to biotic stresses, tolerance for abiotic stresses, grain quality, productivity, and special traits such as aroma.

Some 71 nursery entries developed by South Korea were tested in 32 countries while 21 breeding lines originating from the country were used as parents in varieties developed by China, Egypt, India, Iran, Myanmar, Nepal, and Vietnam. Korea also sent 2,273 seed lots to IRRI for use in the institute’s breeding and research from 2011 to 2015.