JIRCAS, together with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), organized a joint symposium under the auspices of the Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP) on September 7 and 8, 2016 at the International Congress Center (Epochal Tsukuba) in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. The symposium aimed to provide an overview of the current situation in rice research focusing on high temperature tolerance, yield physiology, and pest management.
In his welcome address, Dr. Masa Iwanaga, president of JIRCAS, emphasized the importance of technological development for high temperature tolerance by mentioning that rice is one of the most susceptible crops to global warming.
In Session III (Insect Pest Management), a presentation titled ‘Network collaboration on rice blast disease’ was delivered by Dr. Yoshimichi Fukuta, senior researcher of JIRCAS. He summarized the history of Japan-IRRI collaboration since 1986 and introduced the achievements of the international rice blast research network led by JIRCAS.
Before the symposium, five IRRI staff including Dr. Jacqueline Hughes, deputy director general for research, visited JIRCAS. They paid a courtesy call on Dr. Iwanaga and exchanged opinions about rice science with JIRCAS researchers.