1. PROGRESS AND CHALLENGES OF PRODUCING SUPER YIELDING HYBRID BASMATI RICE IN KENYA
DR. PAUL NJIRUH NTHAKANIO
FUNDED / COLLABORATORS
NCST, TUK, UoN, NIB, KARI

2. 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background : rice production in Kenya
In Kenya rice is mainly grown in Mwea, Ahero, Bunyala, West Kano, Yala Swamp (MoA, 2011)
About 98% of Mwea rice is Basmati.
By year 2030 Kenya population is expected to be 60.0million.

3. 1.2 Rice Situation in Kenya
Table1. Source: NCPB and Department of Land, Crops Development and Management, USDA
Year
2006
2030
2050
Kenya Population
38m
60m ??
Production (Tones)
64,840
Area (ha)
23,106

4. 1.3 Food security is a major Problem
High yielding varieties (HYV) dwarf rice varieties have reached breeding plateau (Kropff et al., 1994).
Green revolution technology now need re-innovation.
Low yield per hectare of Basmati rice (4.1ha) (Ministry of Agriculture, 2010).

5. 1.4 Heterosis and Food Security
Hybridization has been used to increase rice yield per hectare (Jinks, 1983; Zhang, 2010 ; Yuan, 1994).
To make a cross Male and female parents are needed.
a) Female need to have non-viable male gametes so that they can be crossed with another variety.
b) Male parent: need to have viable pollen.

6. 1.4 Male emasculation Main methods include genetic emasculation using
a) Cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) lines
b) EGMS (PGMS and TGMS)
PGMS – photoperiod sensitive genic male sterile lines.
TGMS - thermosentive genic male sterile lines

7. 1.5 Objective Use hybrid rice technology to raise yield
i) Introduce EGMS in Kenya and test for
their adaptability
ii) Develop Basmati with EGMS gene
iii) Produce hybrid by crossing EGMS-Basmati
with conventional Basmati.

8. 2. MATERIALS
EGMS included; Photoperiod sensitive male sterile (PGMS) rice and Thermosentive genic male sterile lines.
PGMS Rice
V1 - IR S
V3 - IR S
TGMS Rice
V2 - IR S
Basmati370

9. 3. METHODS 3.1 Test for EGMS adaptability Sowing of EGMS
Growth at Sterility and assess spikelet fertility
Growth under fertility inducing conditions and assess spikelet fertility

10. 3.1.1 Sowing of EGMS in greenhouse
a b
Fig. 1 EGMS growing in a greenhouse. Fig. a and b show EGMS and the greenhouse respectively

11. 3.1.2 Complete male sterile EGMS
a b c
Fig. 2 EGMS under sterility inducing conditions. Fig a shows EGMS growing in paddy trough, Fig.b is a sterile panicle while Fig.c is pollen from sterile panicle.

12. 3.1.3 Reversion of EGMS to fertility
a b
Fig. 3. EGMS grown in fertility inducing conditions . Fig. a,b&c shows EGMS rice plant, panicles and pollen from plants grown under fertility inducing conditions respectively with grains.

13. 3. 2 Evaluation of spikelet fertility Table. 1
3.2 Evaluation of spikelet fertility Table. 1. Pollen and seed set rate of EGMS under SIC and FIC. LDL, HT, NDL and NT refer to long day-light length, High temperature, Normal day-light length and normal temperature respectively.
Rice line
Treatment
Fertile Pollen (blue black staining pollen) %
Average
Seed set per panicle % 1
V1PGMS
LDL + HT 2
V2TGMS
LDL + HT 3
V3PGMS
0.33
HT +NDL
V3 PGMS
0.67
NT +NDL 64 45
NT+NDL 60 30 55 26
59.67
33.67

14. 3.3 Production of hybrid seeds.
a b c
Fig. 4 Hybrid rice. Fig. a show hybrid rice. Fig. a and c shows hybrid rice plants with deep anthocyanin at the base of the plant.

15. 3.4 Doubled haploid
Fig. 5 Calli from anthers of hybrid plants.

16. Challenges Quality traits in Basmati are under recessive gene control
Daylength in the tropics 12hours, not long enough to induce sterility gene particularly in PGMS
Temperature fluctuation : may not completely induce complete sterility.
Incompatibility of Basmati male restorer lines with EGMS

17. Challenges continues
Recalcitrance in regenerating plants from F1 between EGMS and Basmati calli
Albinism in regenerants

18. Summary of achievements
EGMS - were very adaptable in Kenya
First hybrids have been realized
Recombinant inbreed aimed at developing EGMS genes in Basmati background is at 3rd forth generation
Very good response anthers to callusing

19. Conclusion
Production of hybrid using EGMS has been very success in greenhouse. Thus use of hybrid rice seeds is very promising

20. Acknowledgement National Council for Science and Technology
Collaborating institutions (TUK, UoN, NIB, KARI)

21. THANK YOU