Syngenta, rice institute review projects, discuss possible new ones

Syngenta said on Tuesday that it recently held a workshop with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) earlier this month to discuss possible new research-and-development collaborations under the Scientific Know-How and Exchange Program (SKEP) between the two organizations.

SKEP is entering its third and final year, and Syngenta and IRRI discussed some new paths for projects under the program.

During the workshop, project managers emphasized the importance of producing deliverables within the target timelines, improving communication and protecting intellectual properties. IRRI and the project teams reported progress on current programs and key achievements in the past two years. They also agreed on key priorities for the next six months.

The current SKEP projects involve single-nucleotide polymorphism marker validation, crop health management, outcrossing in hybrid rice, phenotyping for lodging resistance and pyramiding high-value genes to increase rice yield.