New Species of Rice for Thai Farmers
15 September 2020
Corporate Communication and Alumni Relations Center (CCARC)
Clinical Professor Niwes Nantachit, M.D., President of Chiang Mai University accompanied with his executives, together with the Farmer Council from 15 provinces, signed a MoU on September 15, 2020 in order to promote rice agriculture and development.
Conducting research for more than 10 years and utilizing a new method to create plant varieties without GMO, CMU has utilized an Ion Beam to create a new species of rice, a method called “Inducing Technology”.
Utilizing this Ion Beam technology 3 new species of rice have been developed and will be licensed to the farming community:
1) Fragrant rice for consumption (CMU 10 – FRK 1)
2) Rice for the flour industry (PE 10 – 5 or MSY – 4): also suitable for rice noodles.
3) Rice for animal feed industry (PE 10 – 7 or OSSY)
Test growing these 3 new species of rice in 2019 and 2020 has shown that Ion Beam rice is very adaptable, can give a high yield, has good seed quality and was favorably reviewed by the farmers. Astonishingly the Ion Bean rice can produce 1,000 kg / Rai of land area versus traditional Thai rice that averages 460 kg / Rai of land area.
Chiang Mai University has offered this technology to 15 provinces; Kanchanaburee, Saraburee, Singhaburee, Sukhothai, Ayutthaya, Angtong, and Uttaradith and will give famers an opportunity for a better quality of life while inspiring a new generation of farmers.
The CMU – Rajburee Model “New Species of Thai rice Industry 4.0” for the 15 provinces named above will be a collaborative promotion in rice development and shall promote capacity development, production quality and marketing.
Figure 1 The Ion beam that was used in this project invented by CMU (It has been installed at Physical Center of Plasma and Particle beam, Department of Physics and Material Science, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University.
Figure 2 Rice PE 10 -7 (OSSY -23) in Utttaradith Province (March 15, 2020)
Figure 3 Ear of rice PE 10 – 7 (OSSY – 23) rice field in Uttaradith Province (March 2020)
Figure 4 Evaluation of rice PE 10 – 7 (OSSY – 23) in Uttaradith Province by farmers (March 8, 2020)
Figure 5 Rice harvesting PE 10 – 7 (OSSY – 23) in Rajburee Province (February 16, 2020).