Rice Variety Profile for M-209

High yielding, early maturing, semi-dwarf, smooth hulled, Calrose–type medium grain.

RES Rice Varieties

Variety: M-209

  • Former ID: 08Y3269
  • Year: 2015
Introduction

M-209 is a high yielding, early maturing, semi-dwarf, smooth hulled (glabrous), Calrose–type medium grain rice cultivar.  It was developed by the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation, Inc. (CCRRF) at the Rice Experiment Station (RES), Biggs, CA and released to growers in April 2015. M-209 is protected under the US Plant Protection Act, Title 5 (to only be sold as a class of certified seed) as well as a US Plant Utility Patent. M-209 is available exclusively to California rice growers, export of seed is prohibited, and use in genetic or breeding research requires a Material Transfer Agreement.

Pedigree and Breeding

Its pedigree is M-205/5/M-201/M7//M-201/3/M-202/4/M-204. M-205 is a high yielding, glabrous, early maturing Calrose variety released by RES in 2005 and adapted in warmer and more favorable rice growing areas in California. M-202 is a popular photoperiod insensitive, early maturing, cold tolerant, semi-dwarf medium grain released by the RES in 1985. M-201 was released in 1982, has short stature and early maturity while M7 is a late maturing, glabrous, short-statured medium grain released in 1977. M-204 was released in 1992 and is photoperiod insensitive, early maturing, glabrous, semi-dwarf medium grain variety. M7, M-201 and M-204 are no longer in commercial production. M-209 was tested in the 2010-14 University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) statewide tests under the experimental designation 08Y3269.

Agronomic Characteristics

Table 1 contains a summary of the agronomic data collected in the UCCE Statewide Yield Tests. Seedling vigor scores were similar to M-205 and M-206. M-209 heading averages 2 days earlier than M-205 but 6 days later than M-206. Its lodging % has been similar to     M-205 and less than M-206 and M-202. Overall statewide yield advantages for M-209 were 10, 5, and 2% over M-202, M-205, and M-206, respectively. Commercial seed production field yields ranged from 98 to 107 cwt/acre in 2015.

Nursery tests indicate that M-209 had comparable stem rot scores as M-205 and better reaction compared to M-202, M-206, and M-208. It has better reaction to aggregate sheath spot compared to M-206 and M-208. It has no blast resistance gene to the blast pathogen as M-202 and M-206. However, the field resistance of M-209 to blast is not known. Growers are recommended to bleach- treat seed for Bakanae. No marked difference in sensitivity to standard rice herbicides from the parent varieties has been observed, however commercial experience is limited.

Milling and Quality

Head rice yields and stability in a range of harvest moistures are superior to M-202 but slightly below M-206. Milling studies and commercial experience indicate that good head rice yields are seen in M-209 at optimum harvest moisture. However, it has not shown the same high milling yields as harvest moistures fall below 20% as observed in M-206 and M-105, and growers should strive to avoid harvesting M-209 at harvest moistures below 20%. The milled rice grains of M-209 are heavier (1000-grain =22.1 grams) and slightly longer (length=5.94 mm) compared to M-205 (21.4/5.87) and M-206 (21.3/5.70). M-209 physico-chemical properties are similar to other Calrose medium grains. It was evaluated by a number of mills and marketing organization and judged acceptable to the Calrose rice market.

M-209: Agronomic performance in UCCE Statewide Yield Tests 2010-2014

Area of Adaptation

Grain yield trend analysis indicates that M-209 is better suited in high-yielding locations with a high-input production system. Results from the San Joaquin location and cold greenhouse tests indicate that M-209 may suffer more from cold-induced blanking if grown in cooler rice areas, although it appears more blanking tolerant than M-205. This entry is intended in areas where M-205 and M-202 are grown and competitive in areas where    M-206 is grown, especially in more favorable rice growing environments.

Variety Photos
  • River-Sage Tucker

    Plant Breeder Assistant

    River is a plant breeder assistant for the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation (CCRRF). He received his BS in History from the Drury University and MS in Education from the Carthage College.

  • Matthew Morgan

    Maintenance and Operator

    Matthew is a maintenance and operator of California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation.

  • Justin Valencia

    Maintenance and Operator

    Justin is a maintenance and operator of California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation.

  • Randy Jones

    Field Supervisor

    Randy is the field supervisor of California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation.

  • Joe Martin

    Plant Breeder Assistant

    Joe is a plant breeder assistant for the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation (CCRRF). His primary focus at CCRRF is to assist in the short grain breeding program. He received his BS in Plant Biology from the University of California Davis. He is currently enrolled in the Plant Breeding Academy at UC Davis to help further his knowledge in plant breeding.

  • Davinder Singh

    Plant Breeder Assistant

    Davinder is a plant breeder assistant for the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation (CCRRF). His primary focus at CCRRF is to assist in the long grain breeding program.

  • Ravinder Gakhal

    Senior Plant Breeder Assistant

    Ravinder is a senior plant breeder assistant for the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation (CCRRF). His primary focus at CCRRF is to assist in the medium grain breeding program.

  • Baldish Deol

    Senior Plant Breeder Assistant

    Baldish is a senior plant breeder assistant for the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation.

  • George Yeltatzie

    Genetics Lab Technician

    George is the genetics lab technician for the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation.

  • Frank Maulana, Ph.D.

    Short Grain Breeder

    Dr. Frank Maulana is a rice breeder for the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation (CCRRF). He is leading a short grain breeding program to develop improved short grain rice varieties for five market classes, including conventional or regular, low amylose, sweet or waxy, premium quality and arborio or bold grain. The objectives of the program include developing rice varieties with high and stable yield, high milling grain yield, seedling vigor, cold tolerance, lodging resistance, and disease resistance. He received a BS in Crop Science from Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) in Malawi. Then, he worked as a plant breeder at the Agricultural Research and Extension Trust (ARET) for five years. He then went on to obtain PhD and MS in Plant Breeding and Genetics from Kansas State University (KSU), Manhattan, KS. Before joining CCRRF, he was a postdoctoral researcher at Louisiana State University (LSU) AgCenter-Rice Breeding program. His research project at LSU focused on implementation of genomic selection in an applied rice breeding program.

  • Gretchen Zaunbrecher, Ph.D.

    Genetics Lab Director

    Dr. Zaunbrecher is the Genetics Lab Director for the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation (CCRRF).  The Genetics Lab utilizes marker assisted analysis to provide valuable genetic information to assist the breeders in rice varietal improvement.  In addition, through traditional mutational breeding as well as gene editing, we hope to develop new varieties of rice with enhanced yield, herbicide, and disease resistance, and other agronomically valuable traits.

  • Nirmal Sharma, Ph.D.

    Long Grain Breeder

    Dr. Nirmal Sharma is a plant breeder for the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation (CCRRF), leading the long grain breeding project and incorporating disease resistance, high milling yield, seedling vigor, cold tolerance, and herbicide resistance into future rice varieties. He received his BS in Agriculture and MS in Biotechnology from Bangladesh Agricultural University. Then, he worked as a breeder in the Plant Breeding Division of the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) for several years. Next, he moved to the United States to pursue his PhD in crop sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Upon completing his degree, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Noble Research Institute before joining CCRRF.

  • Teresa B. De Leon, Ph.D.

    Medium Grain Breeder

    Dr. Teresa B. De Leon is currently leading the improvement and variety development of CCRRF medium grain project. She previously led the short grain breeding project from 2018-2021. Prior to her employment at the station, she worked as Plant Geneticist to University of California Davis for identification, origin, and prevention of weedy red rice. She developed pre-breeding and introgression lines of Louisiana rice with improved salinity tolerance for Louisiana State University Agricultural Center. As Assistant Scientist and Research Scholar, she has also worked at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and University of the Philippines at Los Banos on disease resistance of rice and other crops. With several years of experience in rice research and development, Dr. De Leon is integrating the use of conventional and molecular tools in breeding for medium grains with high yield potential, high grain quality, wide adaptation, cold tolerance, disease and herbicide resistance, and most importantly, a rice with excellent cooking and taste quality for consumers.

  • Emily Schaaf

    Executive Assistant

    Emily is the executive assistant of California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation.

  • Dustin Harrell, Ph.D.

    Director

    Dr. Dustin Harrell has been the Director of the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation Rice Experiment Station since November of 2021. Prior to his current leadership position, he held positions as the Resident Coordinator of the LSU AgCenter’s Rice Research Station, the Extension Rice Specialist for the state of Louisiana, and the project leader for the Rice Fertility and Agronomy Project at the LSU Rice Experiment Station.

  • Kirk Troughton

    Maintenance and Operator

    Kirk is a maintenance and operator of California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation.