September 3, Dr. Anna McClung, Research Geneticist, met with a rice producer and miller from South Carolina to evaluate pure seed production of new varieties developed by ARS at the Stuttgart, AR location.

Dr. Jeremy Edwards, who is project lead for the Genomics and Bioinformatics group, provided information to a private breeder on September 7, about some of the most cost-efficient methods for genotyping rice breeding materials for use in marker assisted selection.

In celebration of “September is National Rice Month”, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, participated in a media event on September 15, in Atkins, Arkansas regarding the first shipment from the USA of long grain rice that went into China. The event was held at the Ralston Family Farms which produced and packaged the rice that was exported. The rice varieties that were in the shipment were developed by USDA-ARS researchers at DBNRRC for the specialty rice market. These included aromatic rice and varieties having unique red or purple bran which have been demonstrated to have health beneficial properties.  (Pictured: L to R, Robin Ralston, Anna McClung, and Tim Ralston)

September 28, Dr. Flavio Breseghello with EMBRAPA, the federal rice and beans research program in Brazil, contacted Dr. Jeremy Edwards, Molecular Geneticist, on the best methods for genotyping rice germplasm collections. Like the USA, most of the rice cultivars that are commercialized in Brazil are derived from the tropical japonica genepool and thus relevant genetic markers would be commonly used.

July 6, Dr. Shannon Pinson, Research Geneticist, provided information to a plant pathologist from USDA-APHIS Plant Germplasm Quarantine Program in Beltsville, MD on methods for pathogen-free tissue culture and how to find and dissect rice axillary meristems to assist APHIS in obtaining virus-free rice plants via tissue culture.