Rice About Department

The Department of Rice previously known as “Paddy Breeding Station” is a constituent of the Centre for Plant Breeding and Genetics, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. This station conducts multidisciplinary research for rice improvement of the State. In 1912 during the British colonial period, one Government Economic Botanist (GEB) was posted at Coimbatore to initiate research and thus Paddy Breeding Station came into existence as the oldest rice research station in the modern India. This centre is internationally renowned with its record in rice history, headed by British scientists like F.R. Parnell, R.O. Iliffe as Government Economic Botanists and thereafter by Crop Specialists and the renowned scientist Padmashri. Dr. K. Ramaiah, who was the first Paddy Specialist

1. Collection, Characterization and Conservation of rice germplasm
2. Development of high yielding rice varieties of different duration groups through Inter-disciplinary approach in collaboration with International Rice Research Institute, Philippines and Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad.
3. Synthesis of modern rice hybrids with high yield beyond the yield plateau and superior grain quality using three and two-line breeding systems
4. Nutritional genomics for improving the nutritive value of rice
5. Integration of practical molecular breeding tools with classical approaches in creating new drought, salt and submergence tolerant rice cultivars
6. Providing a high quality phenotyping platform for drought tolerance.
7. Studies on the diversity of pathogens and pests and pyramiding genes responsible for major biotic stresses
8. Accomplishing post graduate students research
9. Effective transfer of technology by imparting modern technical skills in rice cultivation, production of hybrid rice seeds through customized training programmes and front line demonstrations.
10. Strengthening the supply chain of the seeds of improved rice varieties and hybrids through maintenance breeding.

Paddy Breeding Station, now known as Department of Rice is a constituent of the Centre for Plant Breeding and Genetics, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. It was started in 1912 during the British colonial period with one Government Economic Botanist (GEB) and thus it is the oldest rice research station in the modern India. Geographically it is located at an elevation of 426.72 m, between 11^o N latitude and 77^o E longitude. The station has a cultivable land area of 12.96 ha uniformly laced with clayey soil with a pH of 7.8. The average rainfall is 670 mm per year.