Radio Havana Cuba's Science and Technology Program:
BREAKTHROUGH

For broadcast Sunday, 12 September and Thursday, 16 September 1999

Written and narrated by Arnaldo "Arnie" Coro, RHC's Science Editor

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Voice: (Coro) Hello amigos, welcome to Breakthrough, Radio Havana Cuba's twice-weekly science, technology and environment update... I am Arnaldo, Arnie, Coro, RHC's Science editor and today it is my pleasure to bring you news about how cuban scientists are battling againts "red rice" a problem that is affecting the production of the most important cereal grown worldwide.

A few days ago agriculture experts, scientists and researchers that work in the all important production of rice in many different countries gathered at Varadero's convention center. The purpose of this meeting co-sponsored by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, was to learn more about the dreaded "red rice" plants that are damaging rice production on a worldwide scale.

But, first things first, I am sure that most of you, like it happened to me, know nothing about "red rice".. I haven't heard that name for a plant before this meeting ... well, "red rice" is nothing more than a genetic degeneration of rice plants... when rice farmers are not careful picking up high quality seed, properly certified by the several Rice Experimental Stations around the world, a gradual degeneration of the rice plant ocurrs. The "red rice" develops and soon takes the place of healthy, high-productivity rice. "Red rice" does a lot of damage to plantations, as it grows in between the "good rice" eating up fertilizers, using water and, of course, stopping the highly productive rice varieties from growing. Scientists believe that if "red rice" could be succesfully eliminated, worldwide rice production will increase significantly using exactly the same areas, same amounts of fertilizers and irrigation water. In other words, the degenerated rice plants, if suppressed, will bring up rice plantation productivy and reduce production costs significantly.

The problem, according to researchers presenting their papers at the Varadero Conference Center Forum on Red Rice, is not an easy one to solve... Cuban scientists brought their results identifying several varieties of "red rices" that exist now in Cuba, and they explained how a program for providing high-quality certified seed to rice farmers is already helping to handle the problem.

Here in Cuba, rice production is divided into two radically different modes: one is large scale, fully integrated high technology plantations, using the most up-to-date farming procedures... there the "red rice" problem is present but not at a very large scale. The other rice production mode in the island is in small plots by individual farmers or farm coops, and there is where "red rice" is really hitting us hard... Visiting rice farmers, scientists and agronomists praised Cuba's efforts to develop rice production and to improve the genetic pool of all the rice varieties that are grown here, with due attention to the eradication of the dreaded"red rice".

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VOICE: ( Coro ) And this was Breakthrough for today... a report on a recent scientific conference held in Varadero's Convention Center dealing with "red rice" and how it can be eradicated to increase rice production worldwide. From Havana, I am Arnaldo, Arnie, Coro, RHC's science editor, together with my sound engineeer Jose Costa Pupo, now wishing you excellent reception of our next show!