2501 A novel climate smart rice production system based on SRI and new varieties in Chile

Authors: Cordero-Lara, K., Santibáñez, MP., Uribe, H., Rodríguez, G., Saavedra, F.
Retamal, R¹., Witkowski, K²., and Barrera, F².
Title: A novel climate smart rice production system based on SRI and new varieties in Chile
Presented by: Karla Cordero-Lara, Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIA-Chile)
date, October 8, 2025
Presented at: Tashkent, Uzbekistan

1. A novel climate smart rice production
system based on SRI and new
varieties in Chile
Confronting climate risks: October 2025
Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIA-Chile)
1
,
Instituto Interamericano de Cooperación para la agricultura
2
Cordero-Lara, K¹., Santibáñez, MP²., Uribe, H¹., Rodríguez, G²., Saavedra, F¹.,
Retamal, R¹., Witkowski, K²., and Barrera, F².

2. CONTEXT INIA

3. INIA has presence at National Level
12 regional R&D centers
INIA is a private technological non profit Research Institute dependent of The
Agricultural Ministry of Chile on its institutional mission. Its main goal is to contribute
to the sustainability of the agri-food systems towards food security and sovereignty.
•Creating value and innovative solutions for farmers
•Agricultural Research and development
•Agricultural Innovation
•Agricultural Extension
Workers at INIA:
35%65%
Projects :
Private contracts and
direct assignments
Application to
Grants
MM$9.134 MM$5.344
*Data2023

4. INIA MISSIONS
Increase biodiversity
Reduce ecological and
environmental footprint of
agriculture
Diversification in agrifood
systems
Reduce agrochemical footprint
Reduce water footprint
Reduce Carbon footprint
(mitigation climate crisis)
Generate participatory diverse
productive models
Vegetal, animal and
microorganism germplasm
conservation
Strengthen breeding programs
Added value to agricultural
products
Increase local food production
Strengthen extension
services
Technological showcases
“last mile” approach
TAS technology

5. Agricultural area in Chile
Seeds
Legumes and
tubers
Vegetables
Industrial crops
Cereals
Grapes
Fruits
Home Gardens
Nurseries
Flowers
Forest plantations
Annual and
perennial forages
Native forest
Improved
pastures
Natural
pastures

6. Exportation & Importation by
sector in Chile
Agriculture Livestock Forestry

7. Main exported products in Chile
Fresh and dried
fruits
Cellulose Wood
Wine and alcohols Processed Fruits
Meat and subproducts

8. Breeding Programs in Chile
Breeding
Programs
FirstChileanCherry
and Apple 2025

9. CONTEXT RICE IN CHILE

10. Climate Risks
✓Climate change
Extreme weather
Water scarcity
GHG emissions
✓Reduction of arable land
Rural migration trend
✓High cost of critical inputs
Seed
Agrochemicals
Agriculturein thefuture

11. Climate Risks
https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/
AR6 SynthesisReport: ClimateChange 2023. The IPCC finalized the Synthesis Report for the Sixth
Assessment Report during the Panel's 58th Session held in Interlaken, Switzerland from 13 - 19
March 2023.

12. Rice in Chile
✓Southernmost rice growing area in the southern
hemisphere
✓Cold weather allows no presence of diseases or
pests
✓100%temperatejaponicarice
✓Longwidetranslucentgrains
✓Lowriceconsumption 9,5Kg/person/year
✓Between50%and70%importedrice
(indica)
✓NationalAverageyield6.5t/ha
✓80%Smallfarmers(~20has)

13. Lookingforsolutionsconsidering…… whatwecan control…
Genetics
Agronomy
Succesin rice production!!

14. THE SOLUTION: CLIMATE SMART/RESILIENT RICE PRODUCTION
High yield, early
maturityand
WUE rice
varieties
Adapted
AgronomySRI
practicesand
priniciples ClimateSmart/ResilientRice!!

15. WHAT IS SRI?
SRI: SYSTEM OF RICE INTENSIFICATION
SICA: SISTEMA DE INTENSIFICACION DEL CULTIVO DEL ARROZ

16. SYSTEM OF RICE INTENSIFICATION
Norman Uphoff
Universidad de Cornell,
Nueva York, USA

17. SYSTEM OF RICE INTENSIFICATION
Riceproductionmethodologytoincreaseproductivity,changingplantmanagement, soil
practices,waterandnutrients,whilereducingexternalinputs.
MAIN PRINCIPLES
1.-Earlyandfastestablishment
2.-Lowplantdensity
3.-Healthyoxygenatedsoils
4.-Alternatingdryandwetsoils
https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.agron.2015.09.004

18. System of rice intensification in Asia vs Chile

19. ¿Howdo wegetthere........?

20. ¿Howdo wegetthere........?
•Water use efficient advanced rice genetic lines selected through seasons 2018-
2019 y 2019-2020 from a pool of 289 japonica rice lines

21. GeneticAerobic Adaptation
Jaspe FL INIA (new short cyclevarietyand WUE)

22. Howdo wegetthere........

23. MANY innovations in a traditional
crop and farmers........GIP creation..

24. Agronomy: Adapted SRI principles and practices
AdaptationinChile
✓Earlymodifieddirectdrilledseeding
✓Seeddose(40-70Kg/ha)
✓Mechanizedweedcontrol(aeration)
✓Intermittentirrigationwholecycle (soilsaturationduringflowering)

25. Scaling Up and start validation…..New possibilities of efficient
irrigation

26. DRIP IRRIGATION aboveand underground……..

27. Ontheroadwefound……..
Soilsthatwerenotabletobe flooded, can be usedbyoldand current
rice farmers…

28. New farmers for rice production……..
Inclusion of new soils used for corn, legumes and wheat ….Use of soils
where there was NEVER RICE BEFORE (new soils and farmers for rice)

29. ¿Do we have solutions for the future?

30. ¿Do we have solutions for the future?

31. Current trials……..
GHG assessments in different rice production systems (complete
flooded, direct drill seeded, and Climate Smart rice…. Carbon credits…..

32. Results GHG……..

33. Results GHG……..

34. Extension and communication
https://webstories.fontagro.org/arroz-mas-productivo-y-sustentable/en

35. Communication….

36. Making viral the knowledge….

37. Whatit’sstarting……..
•Definición del arroz aeróbico,
como un arroz regado con alto
potencial de rendimiento sin
estrés hídrico.

38. Now and coming……..
•Root characterization and
selection for aerenchyma
associated traits
•Gene editing focused in
aerobic root architecture
genes
•Local screening for adapted
germplasm
Jaspe flooded
Zafiro flooded
Jaspe irrigated
Zafiro irrigated

39. CRISPR-Cas9 Inactivation of genes linked to negative modulation of environmental fitness
and yield.
Droughtand Salt Tolerance(DST)
gene:
-Improvingwatermanagement
AminoacidPermease 3 (AA3) gene:
-Improvingtillerbudand paniclenumber

40. ProtoplastsGeneration

41. Protoplasts
viability
Protoplasts
transfection

42. Protoplastregeneration(step 1): Encapsulation
Platino Onix

43. Protoplastregeneration(step 2)

44. 14New definition
Aerobic rice

45. scopeProjections 13
Certification
New actors
Market
opportunities
Policies
supporting
transformation
process

46. WORK TEAM
•PMGA
•Karla Cordero L. (Mejoradora)
•Rubén Gallegos (Agronomía)
•Fernando Saavedra, Sylvia Bustamante, Rocío Retamal y Bryan
Salazar (Asistentes de Investigación)
•Iván Jara, Alfonso Baeza (full-time), Enrique Cáceres y Carlos
Sánchez, Francisco Sandoval, Ricardo Pérez (part-time)
•Otras disciplinas
•Lorenzo León (Malezas)
•Hamil Uribe (Hidrología)
•Rodrigo Quintana (Maquinaria)
•Juan Hirzel (Suelos)
•Marcelino Claret, Stanley Best, Paula Vargas (Agricultura
precisión)
•Carola Vera (Fitopatología)
•Humberto Prieto (Biotecnología)
•Sara Hube (gases efecto invernadero)
•Fernando Barrera
•Joaquín Fuentes
•Isabel Martínez
•María Paz Santibáñez

48. ¡GRACIAS!