2015 Africa-wide Breeding Task Force Trials for Mangrove - PET

In 2010, the Africa-wide Rice Breeding Task Force was launched by AfricaRice involving National Agricultural Research System (NARS) from about 30 countries. The objectives of the network are to evaluate the stability of traits incorporated in breeding processes and to identify varieties best fit to growth conditions in target regions and to markets. The Task Force also accumulates data on performance of new elite lines, thereby facilitating varietal release procedures. Furthermore, by exposing breeders from NARS and farmers to these elite lines during the testing phase, dissemination will be facilitated. The activities conducted by the Task Force consists of a series of consecutive trials. Promising breeding lines developed by AfricaRice or by national and international partners, such as IRRI, CIAT and the NARS are nominated for evaluation in one or several rice cultivation environments: rainfed lowland, irrigated lowland, rainfed upland, high elevation and mangrove. All nominated lines should be fixed and accompanied by supporting data on traits incorporated during the breeding process and with information on yield performance. These characteristics are checked at AfricaRice before incorporation into the network. The first phase (MET, Multi-Environment Testing) consists of an initial evaluation of about 100 lines selected from the nominated lines. Each national partner evaluates these lines at sites in his/her country. Such sites may be at an experimental station under optimal management to evaluate yield potential, or may be ‘hot spots’ to check the performance of the nominations in a stressed growth environment. Trials are replicated three times and include at least a common and a local check. The second phase (PET,Participatory Evaluation Trial) serves to evaluate and confirm the performance of the selected lines. These lines are cultivated using the same experimental design with 3 replications. An important feature of PET is that farmer and other stakeholders such as miller and traders are invited to participate in varietal selection and their opinion on the performance of all entries (i.e. participatory varietal selection, PVS) collected. Based on the data collected, observations by the breeders and the opinion of stakeholder groups, NARS partners select up to 10 lines. Further, NARS evaluated these lines in at least three sites per country and during one or more growing seasons, depending on varietal release requirements. All stakeholders are again invited to get acquainted with the new lines and voice their opinion to help select lines for further advancement. Among the 10 lines, farmers are invited to select three lines and cultivate these in their own fields, together with a common check and their own variety.

2010年，非洲水稻中心（AfricaRice）发起全非洲水稻育种工作组，联合了约30个国家的国家农业研究系统（National Agricultural Research System, NARS）。该网络的宗旨为：评估育种过程中整合的性状稳定性，筛选最适配目标区域种植条件与市场需求的水稻品种。工作组还会收集新优品系的表现数据，以此优化品种审定流程。此外，通过在测试阶段向国家农业研究系统的育种人员与农户展示这些优系，可推动育种成果的快速推广。

该工作组开展的活动由一系列连续试验构成。由非洲水稻中心、国际水稻研究所（IRRI）、国际热带农业中心（CIAT）以及国家农业研究系统等国内外合作伙伴培育的优良育种品系，将被提名进入一个或多个水稻种植环境开展评估，这些环境包括雨养低地、灌溉低地、雨养旱地、高海拔区域与红树林生境。所有提名品系需为纯合固定品系，并附带育种过程中整合的性状相关支撑数据及产量表现信息。上述材料在纳入该网络前，需经非洲水稻中心审核通过。

第一阶段为多环境试验（Multi-Environment Testing, MET）：从提名品系中筛选约100个品系开展初步评估。各国合作方在本国的试验点开展评价，这些试验点既可设置在管理优化的试验站以评估产量潜力，也可设置为“胁迫热点”以检验品系在逆境生长条件下的表现。试验设置三次重复，且至少包含1个通用对照与1个当地对照品种。

第二阶段为参与式评价试验（Participatory Evaluation Trial, PET）：用于评估并确认入选品系的综合表现。该阶段采用相同试验设计，同样设置三次重复。参与式评价试验的核心特色在于邀请农户及加工商、贸易商等其他利益相关方参与品种选择，并收集其对所有参试材料的评价意见（即参与式品种选择，Participatory Varietal Selection, PVS）。

基于收集到的试验数据、育种人员的观测结果与利益相关方的评价意见，国家农业研究系统的合作方可筛选至多10个优系。随后，各国合作方需根据品种审定要求，在本国至少3个试验点以及1个或多个生长季内对这些品系开展验证评价，并再次邀请所有利益相关方了解新品系并发表意见，以助力筛选可进一步推进的品系。

在这10个入选品系中，农户将被邀请挑选3个品系，并在自家田块进行试种，同时搭配1个通用对照品种与农户自用品种。