The Green Super Rice (GSR) project underwent
its mid-term review in March. The review team included scientists from the
Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) and the International Rice
Research Institute (IRRI), and started its tour by visiting sites in Mozambique
and Mali from 1 to 7 March. On 10–12 March, AfricaRice hybrid-rice breeder Raafat
El-Namaky led visits to GSR project sites in Senegal and the review team held
discussions with breeders at the Sahel Station. The sites visited included the
Sahel Station itself, Institut sénégalais de recherches agricoles (ISRA)
Saint-Louis office and a farmer’s field in Ross Bethio, where promising hybrid-rice
breeding lines are being evaluated in comparison with local checks.