Drought-hit Chile finds less-thirsty rice strain

A cold, dry part of Chile might not sound like the best place to grow rice, a famously thirsty grain that thrives in tropical conditions.

- AXL HERNANDEZ

But a new strain of the world's favourite cereal developed by scientists in the drought-plagued South American country has generated hope that rice can be grown in seemingly inhospitable conditions.

Using an innovative planting technique, Javier Munoz has been trying out the “Jaspe” strain created by experts at the Agricultural Research Institute’s (INIA) Rice Breeding Programme.

It is one of several research efforts worldwide to come up with less resource-hungry crops at a time of increased water scarcity in parts of the world due to global warming.

Using Jaspe in combination with a growing method that requires only intermittent watering cut the Munoz family's water consumption in half in a country that has for generations cultivated rice in flooded fields, or paddies.

At the same time, yield rocketed, with each seed yielding about thirty plants nearly ten times more than a conventional rice field.

Irrigating rather than flooding rice fields “is a historic step... towards the future,” Mr Munoz, 25, told AFP at his farm in the region of Nuble, a nearly five-hour drive south of the capital Santiago.

Next year, he said, he hoped to increase his production area from one hectare to five.