The description and goals of each program are listed here. The Rainfed Lowland Rice program develops improved rice varieties that are tolerant to droughts, submergence, and adjust to soil salinity and acidity systems for improved crop, soil, and water management for sustainable increases in productivity. The project identifies and analyzes the processes governing productivity and sustainability of crop production systems in the rainfed lowlands. Research covers nutrient and water management, crop establishment and weed management, and risk management.
Research covers market assisted breeding for drought, submergence, and salinity tolerance.
The goal of the Upland Rice Program is to develop understanding and technology that will improve the productivity and sustainability of the crop, with the ultimate objective of reducing poverty. It builds on rapid advances in molecular biology, knowledge on evolving rice pests, alternative approaches to natural resource management for relatively homogenous agroecoregions, understanding of farmers' current knowledge and factors affecting the absorption of scientific knowledge, assessing farmers' need of technologies in the context of emerging trends in the rice sector of the economy, and evaluating the impact of technologies on the well-being of people. An important and strategic component of IRRI's agenda is germplasm conservation and its safe delivery to researchers worldwide. Research on genetic diversity and biosystematics contributes to more efficient management of conserved germplasm, particularly the wild species of rice, and facilitates its utilization in rice improvement. Studies on the adaptation to different environment by analysis of genotype by environment interaction help identify superior germplasm lines.