Millions of hectares of land suited to rice production in Asia and Africa are not currently used because of their high salt content. Extremely high-salt stress circumstances cause the plant to die, while moderate to low-salt stress conditions impact the plant growth rate. This challenges food sustainability in the coastal and northeastern regions of Kenya where soil with high levels of sodium is widely distributed.
The International Rice Research Institute, in collaboration with the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, launched CSR 36, a salt-tolerant and high-yielding rice variety suitable for irrigated and rainfed areas in Kiarukungu Village in Tana-River County.
The new variety is being offered to Kenyan farmers along with other recently released high-yielding and climate-resilient rice varieties such as 08FAN10 (Mkombozi) and IR05N221 (Komboka) also co-developed by IRRI and KALRO.
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