NRRI to showcase achievements in 78 years of rice research

National Rice Research Institute (NRRI) Cuttack is gearing up for its 78th Foundation Day celebrations on Sunday and will showcase its achievements so far during the programme, an official said.

NRRI's director Dr A K Nayak said the institute is making a great impression in nation-building in the area of rice research and farmers' welfare.

"The institute has submitted ten new proposals for identification, while seven new rice varieties from NRRI were released by the Central Varietal Release Committee in the last year," Nayak said.

This year's foundation day lecture has been named after the first director of the institute, Dr K Ramiah, who was instrumental in identifying the site in the city to establish the rice research centre way back in 1946.

Nayak also said Ramiah's son R Pancharatnam has proposed to donate Rs 50 lakh to the institute for the endowment lecture.

Former NRRI director and Department of Agricultural Research and Education's ex-secretary Dr Trilochan Mohapatra, who is presently officiating as chairperson of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Authority, will deliver the foundation day lecture on Sunday.

The NRRI director said that the institute has been granted a patent for a method for albino free shoot regeneration in rice through anther culture'.

The institute has also filed for three patents and one provisional patent during the last year apart from publishing 118 peer-reviewed articles.

Highlighting other achievements to be showcased during the foundation day celebrations, the director talked about modern tools, whole genome sequencing, seed production and germplasm conservation.