Advancing the Future of Rice Production through Climate-Resilient, High-Yield Varieties
To address the challenges posed by climate change and a declining agricultural workforce, the Department of Advanced Rice Breeding develops high-yielding rice varieties and breeding materials that combine resilience to heat, diseases, and insect pests with labor-saving and cost-efficient cultivation. By integrating smart breeding technologies, image analysis, and AI-assisted selection, the department accelerates breeding progress and promotes the rapid adoption of superior rice varieties.
The department comprises the Rice Smart Breeding Group, Rice Stress-Tolerant Breeding Materials Group, and Rice Breeding Innovation Group. Together, these groups advance the development of high-yielding, premium-quality, and heat-tolerant varieties; breeding materials with enhanced resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses; and innovative evaluation technologies based on imaging and artificial intelligence.
with high yield, good eating quality,
and resistance to the stripe virus
with greater heat tolerance (right)
than the heat-tolerant cultivar
"Niji-no-kirameki" (left)
image-based assessment (left)
for evaluating blast disease severity (right)
