Birds and weeds

Hungry birds destroy ripening grain all over the world, yet few researchers study on them. Farmers in Senegal told AfricaRice researchers that their two major rice pests were birds and weeds.

 Farmers have insights about birds. In a farmer survey by AfricaRice near Saint Louis, Senegal farmers said that birds did lower yields, especially when the fields were weedy. The weeds

Oiseaux et adventices

Partout dans le monde, les oiseaux affamés s’attaquent aux grains mûrs et occasionnent des dégâts; cependant, ils font l’objet de peu d’études de la part des chercheurs. Les paysans sénégalais ont dit aux chercheurs d’AfricaRice que les oiseaux et les adventices étaient leurs deux principaux ennemis du riz.

Les paysans ont une connaissance approfondie des oiseaux. Dans une étude paysanne menée

Developing the next generation of rice varieties

IRRI and AfricaRice jointly launched the Japan-funded project on
‘Developing the next generation of new rice varieties for sub-Saharan Africa
and Southeast Asia’. The eastern and southern African launch of this project
took place on 24 April, in Kirundo Province of Burundi.





The launch was attended by scientists from IRRI, AfricaRice and 38
national research and extension partners from

Reviewing impact and planning the future of the AfDB-funded NERICA dissemination project

The
2010 Steering Committee Meeting of the African Rice Initiative (ARI), held in
Cotonou, Benin, 19-21 Apr 2010, reviewed the progress made by the $35 million,
five-year AfDB-funded NERICA dissemination project and planned the next steps.



The
AfDB project supports the dissemination of NERICA and other improved rice
varieties in seven West African countries – Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Mali,

African Rice Challenge Initiative launched

The Rice Challenge Initiative launching meeting was held in
Montpellier, France, from 13 to 15 April. This four-year project, funded by the
CGIAR Generation Challenge Programme (GCP) and led by AfricaRice, focuses on
breeding for drought tolerance in the rainfed lowland ecosystems in Burkina
Faso, Mali and Nigeria.





The main objective is to develop cultivars possessing high yield
potential

African Rice Challenge Initiative launched

The
Rice Challenge Initiative launching meeting was held in Montpellier, France in
13-15 Apr 2010. This 4-year project, funded by the Generation Challenge
Programme (GCP) and led by AfricaRice, focuses on breeding for drought
tolerance in the rainfed lowland ecosystems in Burkina Faso, Mali and Nigeria.





The
main objective is to develop cultivars possessing high-yield potential in
normal

Strengthening MAS capacity of national partners

A regional training workshop organized by AfricaRice jointly supported
through its Green Super Rice (GSR) project and the West and Central African
Council for Research and Development (CORAF/WECARD) project on research methods
in marker-assisted selection (MAS) was held in Cotonou, from 29 March to 3
April.





The aim of the workshop was to upgrade the capacity of plant breeders
from

Building marker-assisted selection capacity of national partners

A
regional training workshop organized by AfricaRice jointly supported through
its Green Super Rice (GSR) Project and CORAF/WECARD Project on “Research
methods in marker-assisted selection (MAS)” was held in Cotonou, Benin, from 29
Mar to 3 Apr 2010. MAS is a tool that allows the direct application of
molecular markers to make plant breeding programs easier and more efficient.





The
aim of