A seed production system for backstopping a hybrid rice breeding program

For a hybrid rice breeding program to succeed, it should have a system for mass producing parental lines and developed hybrids. The parental lines should be multiplied efficiently without compromising purity. Sufficient hybrid seeds of acceptable purity should be made available for the various stages of evaluation. At IRRI, we employ a system for mass producing parental lines and hybrids for in- house use and sharing with collaborators.