Rice 'safely conserved' in Philippines gene bank
Scientists say that more than 100 thousand varieties of rice have been safeguarded for the future.Samples in the world's largest rice gene bank in the Philippines are being used to help farmers develop rice crops that can survive drought and flooding.The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) gene bank has secured permanent funding from the Crop Trust.It is part of international efforts to store seeds in gene banks to protect food supplies in a warming world."These seeds are miracles - we believe that in this natural diversity of rice you have almost any trait that you would want to look for," said Marie Haga, executive director of the international non-profit organisation, the Crop Trust.She said rice is relatively easy to...