Crop Genebank Knowledge Base

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Field bank (cultivated rice)

Contributors to this page: T.T. Chang Genetic Resources Centre-IRRI, Philippines (Ruaraidh Hamilton, Ken McNally, Flora de Guzman, Renato Reaño, Soccie Almazan, Adelaida Alcantara, Elizabeth Naredo); WARDA, Cotonou (Ines Sánchez); UPLB-University of the Philippines at Los Baños (Teresita Borromeo).

Provides guidelines and recommendations about the best practices for the daily management of genebanks, describing when and how field genebanks should be used for rice. Best practices are shown in a pale blue color with bullets. Justification for each best practice is given within brackets (…).

When should be used?

Rice field banks conserves rice as live plants in the field or screenhouses.

When cultivated rice seeds have low viability or low seed stocks.

How should be done?

It recommended that distinct and completely independent areas are used for cultivated and wild types (to avoid the risk of mixtures with the highly invasive wild species).
It is advisable to grow them in individual pots or special propagation beds, inside quarantine screenhouses.
Perennial species should be maintained as living plants when seeds are difficult to produce.

References and further reading

International Rice GeneBank Operations Manual

Rice Knowledge Bank