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OryzaNet

Connecting the global rice research community

A BBSRC-funded international network supporting collaboration, innovation, and training across rice research: from fundamental science to real-world impact.

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£1 billion

The UK rice industry is worth nearly £1 billion annually.

20%

Rice provides around 20% of the daily calories consumed worldwide

10 billion

A growing global population by 2050 makes sustainable, resilient rice production urgent

Rice is essential and under pressure

Rice is a staple food for around half of the world's population and a vital source of calories and protein. It is grown across diverse and often challenging environments, from flooded lowlands to marginal upland soils, making it particularly vulnerable to climate change.

With a projected global population of 10 billion by 2050, improving the sustainability, resilience, yield, and nutritional quality of rice is critical. Rice research plays a central role in enhancing food security, strengthening livelihoods, and supporting climate resilience worldwide.

The UK delivers world-leading rice research across genetics, plant science, nutrition, computation, and social science, but greater coordination is needed to maximise its global impact.

OryzaNet brings this community together.

Our mission

OryzaNet is a BBSRC-funded network that connects people, capability, and knowledge across the UK and internationally to strengthen rice research and its global impact.

International and interdisciplinary collaboration

Training in cutting-edge technologies and methods

Early Career Researchers as future leaders

Equitable, inclusive, and ethical global partnerships

Together, we aim to shape the future of rice science and production.

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XXX members and counting

Be part of a growing international network of researchers and industry partners working to advance rice science.

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Free to join • Open to researchers and industry collaborators

A growing international network

Connecting UK-based rice research with global partners and programmes.

Latest news

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29 May 2026

Engineered Bacillus subtilis p43-Taglo1 fortifies the iron plaque-biofilm composite to reduce arsenic uptake and promote rice growth

Engineered Bacillus subtilis p43-Taglo1 enhances arsenic resistance and root colonization under As(III) stress. Through increased extracellular polymeric substance production, Fe(II) oxidation, and siderophore secretion, the strain promotes formation of an iron plaque-biofilm composite on rice roots. This root-surface barrier sequesters arsenic, reduces arsenic uptake, and supports rice growth in contaminated paddy systems. Lijuan Li et al 2026 - New Phytologist

29 May 2026

Scientists at the University of Nottingham are helping to develop new varieties of rice that may be able to withstand drought.

Rice is a primary food staple for billions of people, with over half the world's population eating it every single day. Growing it, however, requires huge amounts of fresh water, and yields are being impacted as climate change makes rainfall increasingly unpredictable.

10 April 2026

Hidden Chemistry at the Root: Imaging Reveals How Rice Shapes Its Soil Environment

What happens at the root–soil interface in rice? New bioimaging research reveals how rice roots reshape flooded soils, creating dynamic micro-scale patterns of nutrients and elements. These insights could improve nutrient efficiency, reduce toxic element uptake, and support the development of better-adapted rice varieties.