Woody habitats promote pollinators and complexity of plant–pollinator interactions in homegardens located in rice terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras

Bees are important pollinators of wild plants and crops, but little is known about bee habitat requirements and pollinator management in tropical mountainous agricultural regions. Here, smallholder farmers produce fruits and vegetables in homegardens that depend upon or benefit from bee pollination. We hypothesized that abundance and richness of wild and domesticated bees and the complexity of plant–pollinator interactions are higher in homegardens surrounded by woody habitats than in homegardens found farther from woodlands. Bees were sampled in 20 homegardens in the rice terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras. We used linear mixed effect models to analyse effects of woody habitats around homegardens on bee richness and abundance. Based on pooled observations for each garden category, we built pollinator–plant interactions networks to illustrate shifts in interaction frequencies. We recorded 354 bee individuals of 13 wild and one domesticated bee species (Apis cerana). Wild bee richness was significantly higher in homegardens surrounded by woody habitats. Bee abundance increased significantly with increasing flower cover. Wild bees visited cultivated plants significantly more often than domesticated bees. Six vegetable species and 76% of all flower visits on cultivated plants in total were performed by wild bees and three plant species and 24% by domesticated bees. Pollinator–plant networks were more complex in homegardens surrounded by woody habitats. We conclude that woody habitats increase abundance and richness of wild and domesticated bees. Increasing availability of floral resources also promotes bee abundance. In order to promote pollination services in the landscape mosaic of smallholder rice farms, woody habitats and forest fragments together with numerous floral resources should be protected and restored.     

Mixed rice

According to analysis, a new type of grain mixed rice will sell well on the internal market. The mixed rice consists of general japonica and indica rice, and fragrant rice and waxy rice, etc. according to people with cer     

Erratum to: Woody habitats promote pollinators and complexity of plant–pollinator interactions in homegardens located in rice terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras

Paddy and Water Environment -     

Has the introduction of modern rice varieties changed rice genetic diversity in a high-altitude region of Nepal?

We surveyed the uptake of three modern rice varieties by farmers in high-altitude villages in the Kaski district of Nepal and found that their uptake had displaced some traditional landraces in the district. The three varieties, Machhapuchhre-3 (M-3), Machhapuchhre-9 (M-9) and Lumle 2, were developed using client-oriented, participatory plant breeding methods and the first was introduced to farmers in 1996. By 2004 up to 60% of the land area was used to grow these modern varieties. Molecular markers (SSR) were used to assay levels of genetic diversity to test if adoption of modern varieties in the place of landraces had changed genetic diversity. The modern varieties were found to contain diverse alleles with a high proportion from the local parent variety, Chhomrong Dhan. We found a high level of allelic richness in the landraces, and although seven had been dropped in favour of the modern varieties, other diverse landraces were still being cultivated by farmers in the study villages on up to 40% of the rice area. Genetic diversity may be maintained even when landraces are displaced by modern varieties. Using a model we found that the partial replacement of landraces increased genetic diversity if the modern varieties were adopted on up to 65% of the area. Only above these levels did overall diversity decline.     

Preliminary studies on rice quality of japonica-indica hybrid rice

It has been proved that high yield combinations can be obtained via hybridization between indica and japonica rice. However, people have worried about the quality of this kind of rice for a long time. Our researches were mainly based on the mating pattern of “japonica male sterile line/indica restorer line” to generate and select elite japonicalinous crosses. Ricequality is shown in table 1 and 2.     

Can polycultural manipulation effectively control rice planthoppers in rice-based ecosystems?

Rice planthoppers (mainly Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) and Sogatella furcifera Horvath) are the most destructive rice pests throughout southeastern and eastern Asia. Planthopper feeding often causes “hopper burn” and reduces rice yields. Currently, insecticide use is the sole pest management option available to most Chinese farmers. Because pesticide use may have undesirable effects, environmentally sound and sustainable management alternatives are urgently needed. In a two-year field study at the Wuyishan Experimental Station of the Institute of Applied Ecology (IAE), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (FAFU), we evaluated the effects of polycultural manipulation on the abundance, sexual differentiation and wing dimorphism of rice planthoppers. The polycultural manipulation was arranged in mosaic patterns of paddy plots intercropped with non-paddy plots including chili pepper, ginger, maize and peanut plants. Monocultural fields of paddy plants were used as controls. Polycultural manipulation significantly reduced the abundance of total planthoppers and nymphs of N. lugens and S. furcifera. The number of overall planthoppers decreased on average by 49% and 55% in 2007 and 2008, respectively. However, polycultural manipulation had no impact on the proportions of female or macropterous planthoppers. The resource concentration and associational resistance hypotheses may explain these results. In polycultural fields, non-rice species may mask the chemical or visual attractants of rice, making them less apparent, and microhabitat differences in the levels of secondary compounds or in plant quality may also disrupt planthopper orientation.     

Special rice in China

Jinbaoyin: It was from Shishang, Luokou, and Huitong towns, Ningdu County, Jiangxi Province. The hull was red-gold, the grain was white in color, slim in shape, and good in quality. It tasted fragrant and delicious.     

Workshop on hybrid rice

FAO, in collaboration with FEDEARROZ in Colombia and EMBRAPA / CNPAF in Brail, organized a workshop on the Establishment of a Coorperative Research Network on Hybrid Rice in Latin America and the Caribbean held from Mar 16 to 18, 1994 at EMBRAPA/CNPAF in Brazil. Dr MAO Changxiang,     

Special rice in China

ＦｒａｇｒａｎｔＲｉｃｅ２：ＴｈｅｒｉｃｅｏｒｉｇｉｎａｔｅｄｆｒｏｍＣｈｅｎｇｇｕａｎｄＹａｎｇｘｉａｎｃｏｕｎ ｔｉｅｓ，ＳｈａａｎｘｉＰｒｏｖｉｎｃｅ．Ｗｈｅｎｃｏｏｋｅｄ，ｉｔｗａｓｆｒａｇｒａｎｔａｎｄｗａｓｅａｓｙｔｏｂｅｄｉｇｅｓｔｅｄ．Ｉｔｗａｓｓｕｉｔａｂｌｅｆｏｒｏｌｄａｎｄｗｅａｋｐｅｒｓｏｎｓ．ＺａｏｃａｉｇｕＲｉｃｅ：ＩｔｗａｓｆｒｏｍＸｉｎｃｈｅｎｇａｎｄＴｉａｎｈｕａｔｏｗｎｓ，Ｄｉｎｇ ｎａｎＣｏｕｎｔｙ，ＪｉａｎｇｘｉＰｒｏｖｉｎｃｅ．Ｔｈｅｒｉｃｅｈａｄｓｈｏｒ…     

Special rice in China

ＷｕｓｈａｎＲｉｃｅ：ＩｔｇｒｅｗｉｎｈｉｌｌｙｌａｎｄａｒｏｕｎｄＷｕＭｏｕｎｔａｉｎｉｎＷａｎｇＣｉｔｙ，ＨｕｎａｎＰｒｏｖｉｎｃｅ．Ｉｔｓｇｒａｉｎｉｓｂｒｉｇｈｔａｎｄｔｒａｎｓｐａｒｅｎｔ，ａｎｄｔｈｅｃｏｏｋｅｄｒｉｃｅｉｓｓｏｆｔ，ｓｔｉｃｋｙ，ｆｒａｇｒａｎｔ，ａｎｄｓｗｅｅｔｉｎｔａｓｔｅ．Ｉｔｗａｓａ＂ＴｒｉｂｕｔｅＲｉｃｅ＂ｉｎｏｌｄｔｉｍｅ．ＩｎｄｉａｎＩｎｄｉｃａ：Ｇｒｏｗｉｎｇ ｉｎＷｕｃｈａｎｇ Ｃｉｔｙ，ＨｕｂｅｉＰｒｏｖｉｎｃｅ，ｉｔｗａｓａｌｓｏｃａｌｌｅｄ＂Ｒ…     

Special rice in China

ＭｉｎｇｓｈｕｉＲｉｃｅ：ＩｔｏｒｉｇｉｎａｔｅｄｆｒｏｍＺｈａｎｇｑｉｕＣｏｕｎｔｙ，ＳｈａｎｄｏｎｇＰｒｏｖｉｎｃｅ．ＴｈｅｃｈａｒａｃｔｅｒｉｓｔｉｃｓｏｆＭｉｎｇｓｈｕｉＲｉｃｅｗｅｒｅ：ａｂｓｏｒｂｉｎｇｍｏｒｅｗａｔｅｒ，ｓｗｅｌｌｉｎｇｕｐｇｒｅａｔｌｙａｆｔｅｒｂｅｉｎｇｓｏａｋｅｄ，ａｎｄｂｅｉｎｇ ｓｔｉｃｋｙ ａｎｄｓｍｅｌｌｉｎｇ ｆｒａｇｒａｎｔａｆｔｅｒｃｏｏｋｅｄ．Ｌｅｎｇｓｈｕｉｂａｉ：Ｉｔｗａｓａｌｓｏｃａｌｌｅｄ＂ＭａｇｕＲｉｃｅ＂ｆｒｏｍＧｕｓｈａｎＴｏｗｎ，…     

Relationship of egg parasitoids of rice planthoppers between rice and non-rice habitats

Egg parasitoids, Anagrus spp. and Oligositaspp. have been found to be important biological agents in suppressing rice planthoppers in Asian countries. However, most of these studies have been confined to conditions within rice fields. In this study, field surveys were made to study the floral and faunal diversity in various habitats surrounding rice fields. The rice and grass (Echinochloa spp.) plants were infested with 2 gravid females of brown planthopper Toya spp. or T. pusanus per tiller respectively for two days. The oviposited plants were:1) Rice plants bearing BPH eggs, 2) grass plants bearing BPH eggs, 3) grass plants bearing Toya spp eggs, and 4) grass plants bearing T. pusanus eggs. Above plants were placed in the rice field, the grassy area adjacent to rice fields and the grassy area away from rice fields, respectively. Potted plants with host     

Aninter-subspecies hybrid rice— Liangyou-Peijiu

Liangyou-Peijiu (65002), an inter-subspecies hybrid, was bred in Jiangsu Acad of Agri Sci (JAAS) by two-line method. The female was a low-temperature-sensitive sterile line, Pei'ai 64s (japonica), and the male was 9311.     

Negative phototropism of rice root

Ｉｔｉｓｏｆｔｅｎｂｅｌｉｅｖｅｄｔｈａｔｔｈｅｓｔｅｍｏｆｈｉｇｈｅｒ ｐｌａｎｔｓｈａｓｃｈａｒａｃｔｅｒｉｓｔｉｃｓｏｆｐｏｓｉｔｉｖｅ ｐｈｏｔｏｔｒｏｐｉｓｍ，ａｎｄｔｈｅｒｏｏｔｓｈｏｗｓｎｏｐｈｏｔｏｔｒｏｐｉｓｍｏｒｎｏｓｅｎｓｉｔｉｖ ｉｔｙｔｏｌｉｇｈｔｔｈｏｕｇｈｔｈｅｒｏｏｔｏｆＡｒａｂ ｄｏｐｓｉｓｗａｓｒｅｐｏｒｔｅｄｐｏｓｓｅｓｓｉｎｇｃｈａｒ ａｃｔｅｒｉｓｔｉｃｓｏｆｎｅｇａｔｉｖｅ ｐｈｏｔｏｔｒｏｐｉｓｍ．Ｉｎｔｈｉｓｓｔｕｄｙ，ａｄｉｓｔｉｎｃｔｎｅｇａｔｉｖｅ…     

Fantastic yields in the system of rice intensification: fact or fallacy?

The combination of natural resources, genes, weather and management systems largely determines maximum crop yields. Recently, one of those elements was portrayed as the key to releasing hitherto unrecognized, but significant, untapped growth potential in rice. That element, the system of rice intensification (SRI), is an unconventional management system developed in Madagascar, where it was reported to increase rice yields to ‘fantastic’ levels. To investigate the general potency of the SRI, we conducted experiments in three locations in China comparing yields in conventional and SRI management systems. In addition, we used a theoretical model to predict maximum yields and compared those with reported yields for various locations, including China and Madagascar. Our results imply that the SRI has no inherent advantage over the conventional system and that the original reports of extraordinary high yields are likely to be the consequence of error.     

Breeding for multiresistant rice varieties

From 1977 to 1987, new rice varieties Xiangkang 32xuan 5, Xiangzaoxian 3 and HA79317—4 were bred. They had resistance to bacterial blight (BB), rice blast (BL), brown planthopper(BPH), whitebacked planthopper (WBPH), with high-yielding and good rice quality.     

New hybrid rice combination-Xieyou 46

Hybrid rice combination Xieyou 46 was first bred by combining CMS line Xieqingzao A with restorer line Milyang 46 at CNRRI in 1983. It can be used as single season or late season new indica hybrid rice combination. Having passed provincial level yield trials in the following years,