MINCERnet: A global research alliance to support the fight against heat stress in rice

Abstract

Rice yield may be reduced substantially when the crop is exposed to the excessive heat predicted under future climate conditions, but the magnitudes of the yield losses under open-field conditions are difficult to predict. To better understand the occurrence of heat stress under field conditions, we established a network for monitoring the rice canopy thermal environment in paddy fields and for collecting other crop data (MINCERnet); the network initially covers eight of the world's rice growing regions. The relative humidity (RH), air temperature (T a) in nighttime, and amplitude of daily changes in T a differed greatly among sites, which are considered to affect panicle temperatures and rice reproduction. The T a difference between air above and inside the canopy varied depending on RH. T a at the weather station nearest to the respective field was higher than T a above the rice canopy. T a inside the canopy near the panicles was lower than T a above the canopy, but the magnitude of the difference varied among sites, because canopy cooling by evapotranspiration depended on the characteristics of the ambient environment and of the plant canopy. By recording data from different climate zones, MINCERnet will improve our quantitative understanding of the impacts of climate change on rice.

Pollen germination and in vivo fertilization in response to high‐temperature during flowering in hybrid and inbred rice

“…Plants were grown in the greenhouse with natural environmental conditions (temperature, photoperiod, relative humidity, and radiation) at IRRI, Los Baños (14°11′N, 121°15′E, 21 m above sea level), Philippines, before transferring them to walk‐in growth chambers for imposing various temperature treatments described below. MINCERs (Micrometeorological Instrument for Near Canopy Environment of Rice, developed by the National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Japan; Yoshimoto et al, ) were placed in the greenhouse to record the actual temperature and relative humidity at the plant level at 15‐min intervals. The recorded actual temperature, relative humidity, and vapour pressure deficit (VPD) in the greenhouse during the period of experiments are shown in Supporting Information Table S1.…”

High day- and night-time temperatures affect grain growth dynamics in contrasting rice genotypes

“…It took 5–8 d for N22 and 10–12 d for the other genotypes to reach physiological maturity after the stress was released. Temperature and RH were continuously monitored at 15-min intervals at plant level (about 1.3–1.5 m from the ground surface) inside the chambers by using a Micrometeorological Instrument for Near Canopy Environment of Rice (MINCER, developed by the National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Japan; Yoshimoto et al , 2012 ). All actual temperatures, RH and vapor pressure deficit (VPD) in all walk-in growth chambers during experiments are included in Supplementary Table S1 at JXB online.…”

MINCER: A novel instrument for monitoring the micrometeorology of rice canopies

“…As a result of the ease of use and cost-effectiveness of MINCER, more than 100 units are already in operation in eight countries that are participating in the MINCERnet monitoring network (Yoshimoto et al, 2012). We believe that this network will provide reliable micrometeorological data on conditions within rice plant communities composed of different cultivars that are growing under a wide range of climates.…”