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Rockfeller sanctions Rs 52 lakh for rice molecular research
Coimbatore, Dec 17: The Rockfeller Foundation of USA, has sanctioned a Rs 52 lakh research scheme on rice molecular breeding to Tamil Nadu agricultural university (TNAU). The grant would be utilised to conduct research in the development of strategies in three key areas of rice molecular breeding, to augment the conventional plant breeders to speed up their development process, a TNAU release said.The areas of research include mapping genes for nitrogenuse efficiency, associated with heterosis and major diseases of rice, to be operated in three different centres of the university for a period of three years, it said.It stated that the rice cropping system should rely on genetic potential of the plant, to use the nitrogen efficiency for long-term sustainability of the yield. (PTI) It said the main aim of the scheme was to undertake research to understand the genetics of nitrogen use efficiency. The second area of the project would enhance the understanding of the biology of heterosis and its usefulness in rice improvement employing molecular marker analysis,it said, The third area, to be carried out in Agricultural College and Research Institute, Killikulam, would attempt to locate the resistance genes for bacterial leaf blight in rice, by using the molecular markers, the release added. (PTI) Copyright © 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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