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Use of a rapid generation advance (RGA) system for IRRI's irrigated breeding pipeline

Poster · June 2016

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Joseph Beredo Rhulyx D. Mendoza

SABRAO Journal of Breeding and Genetics International Rice Research Institute
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 Use of a rapid generation advance (RGA)
system for IRRI’s irrigated breeding pipeline
Joseph Beredo, Rhulyx Mendoza, Edwin Reyes, Herman Hermosada, Mark Anthony Javier, Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, and Bertrand Collard
International Rice Research Institute, DAPO Box 7777, Metro Manila 1301, Philippines
Email address: j.beredo@irri.org

The pedigree breeding method usually takes 3–4 years to develop genetically fixed lines, and is very expensive. Hence, it is
imperative to use techniques that are cheaper and can shorten the time needed to develop breeding lines, and ultimately, be able to
release new varieties after a shorter time period. RGA is a breeding approach that uses single seed descent (SSD) as the breeding
method in a small screenhouse or glasshouse space. Using RGA could save a lot of valuable land space (~90%), labor (i.e., contract
workers by ~50%), and shorten the time period for developing breeding lines by at least 2 years as compared to the pedigree
method. This poster describes the current RGA system used at IRRI.

Overview The system

• Plants are grown in seedling trays in F2

a screenhouse or glasshouse under

YEAR 1

F3
YEAR 1

mild stress (very close spacing, low Trait selection

F4
N input & high temperature) to is delayed
F5 until F6
hasten flowering and set seed
YEAR 2

YEAR 2

earlier compared to the field. F6

• In RGA, it is possible to grow 3.5-4 Direct dry-seeded minuro trays RGA plants at 10 DAS
FIELD TRIALS
generations per year. In the field,
only 1 or 2 per year is possible.
Integrated RGA workflow
• Ultimately, breeding lines are
CCRD/FCR IRSEA Core Breeding
developed within a shorter time
period with less cost. Customers Cross prediction/HB
• Since 2012, IRRI’s irrigated
breeding pipeline was redesigned by
RGA setup upclose at 55 DAS 50% flowering at 73 DAS
using RGA as the main breeding Breeding4Rice

method.
• From 2013 to 2015, around RGA data
50,000+ lines comprised of 100+ NO YES
crosses were advanced.
•
Preparation
This initiative was part of the End generation? End generation?

Transforming Rice Breeding (TRB)

Maturing panicles at 80-90 DAS Part of current RGA facility Seed
project, funded by the Bill and processing Seeding
RGA
cycle
Melinda Gates Foundation, to Stages of RGA cycle (90-105
days)
establish IRRI’s new breeding factory
focusing on irrigated rice. This was Preparation
Harvest Maintenance

featured in Rice Today Vol. 13, No. 4

(October-December 2014). Seed
Seeding Advanced materials
processing
Advantages Seed increase step

• Speeds up the breeding cycle (3.5-4 (panicle rows)

1. LST 2. OYT 3. PYT 4. AYT 5. MET

generations in one year - F2 to F5 or
F6).
• High-throughput (80,000+ lines in
600 sq.m. space).
• Help to increase rate of genetic gain
by shortening the time of breeding
lines development.
• CWs requirement is reduced and
distributed efficiently.
• Reduced breeding costs (resources,
labor, and space).
• Faster variety development/release.
Harvest Maintenance
• A typical RGA cycle ranges from 90
to 105 days.
• The target of current turnaround
time per generation is 90 days or
less.
• A well-scheduled RGA system will
produce four generations of 90-
day-cycles per year, including
preparation time in between.
Challenges
 Too warm in dry season (panicle sterility)
 Control of insects
 Four generations per year
 Management of huge amount of breeding lines
from different customers
 Inclusion of phenotyping system
 Inclusion of high-throughput genotyping system

Acknowledgments: We are grateful to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for funding this
research, Vitaliano Lopena, Ronald Santelices, and Holden Verdeprado for the technical support.

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