A special ceremony was held to mark the first planting of a new NTU-developed rice variety at the NTU Experimental Farm here on March 7. During the ceremony, NTU President Pan-Chyr Yang led Dean Yuan-Tay Shyu of the College of Bioresources and Agriculture along with the students and faculty of the Department of Agronomy in praying to the heavens in hopes of bringing pleasant weather and ample rains.

Called Tainan No. 16, the new rice variety was developed by the Department of Agronomy in cooperation with the Tainan District Agricultural Research and Development Station. Tainan No. 16 is the first rice variety in Taiwan to be developed using genomic marker-assisted selection to identify desired agronomic traits. Using this new technique, the development time was just one half of the time required using traditional methods. Boasting a translucent rice grain and a smooth and chewy texture upon cooking, the new rice is expected to perform well on the market.