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ARS scientists, researchers, and support staff across the country continue to work through this challenging time. Researchers and technicians at the Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center in Stuttgart, AR, are evaluating and preparing rice seed for planting in late spring. Each year, hundreds of genetic resources are rejuvenated in the field to provide researchers around the world with fresh seed stocks for genetic and breeding research.

Researchers at the Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center in Stuttgart, AR, are preparing rice seed for planting in late spring. Shown here: 1) Biological Science Technician Brenda Lawrence organizes packages of rice seed in preparation for planting in late April. 2) Biological Science Technician Jace Everette prepares rice samples with purple or red bran color for pulverizing into flour, followed by extraction of anti-oxidant compounds, in an effort to develop new rice varieties that have high levels of health beneficial compounds in the un-milled grain. 3) Biological Science Technician Luis Coral puts rice seed of the heirloom variety Carolina Gold Select into planter cells, which will be loaded on tractor-pulled seed planters at sowing time in late April. Each year, hundreds of genetic resources are rejuvenated in the field to provide researchers around the world with fresh seed stocks for genetic and breeding research.