MANILA - IRRI’s head of security, Glenn Enriquez, was invited to speak at an International Film Expo in Manila earlier this month. His talk showcased the work done by the Institute’s security team and focused on the Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), more commonly known as drones, which patrol the campus of over 200 hectares, 6 times a day.
 

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), through the office of the Philippine Desk, conducted a free medical mission for the indigent residents of Barangay Puypuy  in Bay, Laguna, a few kilometers from IRRI headquarters. 

The Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) granted IRRI membership in recognition of shared objectives in supporting developing countries in adopting climate-smart technologies for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Hosted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, CTCN promotes technology transfer by providing technology services, capacity building, and implementation advice to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and cope with climate change.
 

The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), with the support of the Department of Agriculture-Biotechnology Program, is developing a better and faster method of virus detection in rice and insect vectors. The method, called loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay has already been successful in diagnosing pathogens in animals and humans. The project is now testing it on plants with the aim of helping farmers detect the viral diseases even before the symptoms appear.

FAO 1 July 2015, Paris - Strong crop yields, higher productivity and slower growth in global demand should contribute to a gradual decline in real prices for agricultural products over the coming decade, but nonetheless, prices will likely remain at levels above those in the early-2000s, according to the latest Agricultural Outlook report produced by the OECD and FAO.
 

Researchers from University of York and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Australia conducted a study which led to the discovery of the gene in poppy plants that is necessary in morphine production. Morphine is a natural compound found in poppy plant and used in painkillers.

Bacteria have a variety of tricks to avoid detection when plundering a plant cell. According to researchers from Boyce Thompson Institute and the USDA-Agricultural Research Service, a protein from Pseudomonas syringae – AvrPtoB – suppresses the immune response of plants. AvrPtoB prevents the plant from detecting another bacterial protein, HopAD1, which helps the bacterium to reproduce unnoticed.

FAO 23 June 2015, Rome - Mountain soils are the fragile foundations of ecosystems that ultimately provide water for more than half the world's population. A new FAO book offers technical insights on the sustainable management of mountain soils, which are home to a vast array of human activities ranging from quinoa cultivation in the Andes through European ski resorts to the collection of medicinal plants in Tajikistan's "roof of the world" Pamir range.
 

Bangkok, Thailand – Five countries from Asia and the Pacific have received awards for their achievements in the fight against hunger, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization announced today.
 

Genetically modified (GM) technologies are not a panacea for all of our ills, but they are certainly an important tool to help feed the world, the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine of Ireland was told. Speaking before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Dr. Tom McLoughlin