Functional Grains Centre (FGC) PhD candidate Ms Rachael Wood has been awarded a scholarship by the NSW Crawford Fund to attend an international training program.

Ms Wood will take part in the rice production course through the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in The Philippines in August.

Also awarded a scholarship is Charles Sturt University PhD candidate Ms Brooke Kaveney.

Coordinator of the Crawford Fund NSW Committee and Australia’s inaugural Inspector-General of Biosecurity, Dr Helen Scott-Orr said, “The Crawford Fund is very pleased to be supporting students to encourage them in their studies and careers in agriculture for development.

“At the IRRI Rice Production training they will meet people from around the world who will be the rice research leaders of tomorrow and I look forward to their reports on the experience.”

A researcher at the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) at Yanco, Ms Wood, is also a is keen to learn more about international rice research.

“I have a strong desire to engage in international agricultural research and attending this training program will help establish connections that could make this possible,” Ms Wood said.

“I believe that as the global population increases rice research is going to play an essential role in food security particularly for Asian and developing countries.

“Understanding the challenges facing international rice farmers is important in determining future research areas and I’m looking forward to gaining experience in tropical rice production.”

Back home Ms Wood’s PhD research at the FGC is investigating how rice grain quality is influenced by on-farm practices.

The aim is to identify strategies to help growers maximise their returns.

“Payments to ricegrowers include grain quality parameters, in particular whole grain yield (WGY), that is the percentage of whole grain that resists breakage during milling,” Ms Wood said.

“While a low harvest moisture can increase the risk of the grain cracking, we know that there are other factors that influence quality.

“My research is investigating the impact of farmer practices like planting density, the rate and timing of fertiliser application and irrigation protocols on rice grain quality.

“Aside from the WGY I’m also interested in grain colour, presence of chalk and the cooking and eating qualities of the rice.”

The research also has the potential to provide valuable information about how to reduce water use without compromising the grain quality of the rice.

“There’s a drive to increase water use efficiency in rice production, through strategies like dry sowing and delaying permanent water.

“At the moment there’s little data about how those irrigation practices impact on grain quality and my research aims to fill in some of the gaps,” Ms Wood said.

Photo caption: Rachael Wood at the 2018 rice industry field day, photo by Bernadette York NSW DPI