Fe-Tox-WARDA - Screening of lowland rice varieties for iron toxicity responses

Iron toxicity constitutes a major albeit seasonal constraint to rainfed lowland rice production in many tropical countries. In the inland valeys in Africa the potential production is often limited by iron toxicity occuring in an unpredictable severity, in patches, and at different development stages of the crop. Management options are available but often impossible to realize due to the fact that production sites are often far away from any infrastructure. Among the possible solutions are a better water and nutrient management, both often costly and time and labor demanding, or a choice of variety resistant to iron toxicity.

The aim of this project is to identify potential donors of iron toxicity resistance traits for both genetic analyses for QTLs and future breeding programs