RRII has an opportunity to make a profound difference over the next few critical decades based on our differentiating capacities at the intersection of research and development. First and foremost, RRII is the fantastic genetic resources and population, and breeding germplasm holder that fuels varietal research and extension across the national rice-growing areas.
RRII is a trusted source of rice knowledge for the country’s rice industry. Facing global challenges, we need continuous access to new varieties and their growing requirement packages to maintain the rice sectors. The Rice Research Institute of Iran has released and introduced more than 55 improved rice varieties since 1993 to enhance grain yield and cooking quality, to overcome drought and salinity stress across the country. But recently the RRII introduce a new strategy in rice breeding namely, participatory plant breeding (PPB).
Over the past two decades, the concept of participatory plant breeding (PPB) has been developed in collaboration with crop breeders, farmers, traders, and consumers to improve the system of introducing new crop varieties. In this approach, there is a direct relationship between farmers/stakeholders and plant breeders.
To explain the past present and future breeding strategy of rice by the rice research institute of Iran, Dr. Hosseini director-general of the RRII has a TV interview with the Education channel of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcaster on 25 July 2021 at 19 pm (Tehran local time).