Wilmington, Delaware
July 9, 2009
This is one in a series of
articles about how DuPont is putting science to work in 2009.
“Rice is the most important staple food for more than half of
the world’s population,” DuPont
CEO Ellen Kullman told shareholders at the company’s annual
meeting in April.
Indeed, rice has been the most commonly used food grain for most
people in the world since ancient times -- and its popularity
shows significant and steady growth. Between 1961 and 2002,
worldwide per capita consumption of rice increased by 40%.
The growing population in Asia – where rice has likely been
cultivated for more than 10,000 years – is driving pressure to
improve yields to meet increasing demand, and DuPont’s Pioneer
Hi-Bred business is ready to meet the challenge.
In the first quarter, the company launched Pioneer® brand 27P31
hybrid rice for the “medium maturity long slender” segment in
North and East India. So what does that mean? First, you need to
understand a little bit about rice itself.
A member of the grass family, rice can be grown successfully
under climatic conditions ranging from tropical to temperate
with a cycle of 3-7 months. In general, the rice family can be
broken down into three main categories:
Long Grain: About 6-8 millimeters (mm) long, about 3-4 times
longer than thick. The best long grain varieties come from
Thailand, southern U.S., India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Vietnam.
Medium Grain: About 5-6 mm long, but thicker than long grain
rice. It releases about 15% starch into water during cooking.
Medium grain rice is mainly grown in China, Egypt and Italy.
Short Grain or Round Grain: About 4-5 mm long, only 1.5-2 times
longer than thick. It cooks in much the same way as medium grain
rice. This variety is grown in subtropical areas like
California, Egypt, Italy, Japan, Korea, Spain and Portugal.
This new Pioneer rice hybrid has very good standability, grain
quality and yield advantage compared to the leading competitor
hybrid. It won 67% of comparisons in Haryana, a key state in the
North Indian market.
In addition to this new product, DuPont has a strong rice
research program in Asia focused on delivering rice hybrids
localized for taste and for growing environments. Early this
year, the company announced business collaborations in Indonesia
and the Philippines that will grant Pioneer access to germplasm
and allow DuPont to gain access to those markets.
DuPont is indeed on the right track to deliver more and better
food throughout the world. For more information, visit
www.pioneer.com. |
|
