Golden rice Golden rice Golden rice is a variety of rice ("Oryza sativa") produced through genetic engineering to biosynthesize beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A, in the edible parts of rice. It is intended to produce a fortified food to be grown and consumed in areas with a shortage of dietary vitamin A, a deficiency which each year is estimated to kill 670,000 children under the age of 5 and cause an additional 500,000 cases of irreversible childhood blindness. Rice is a staple food crop for over half of the world's population, making up 30–72% of the energy intake for people in
Scirpophaga nivella orange anal tuft, sometimes brownish in the female. The larvae are off white with a reddish dorsal line. Major feeding plant is sugarcane, besides "Oryza sativa", "Scirpus", "Cyperus", "Eleocharis" (including "Eleocharis dulcis") and "Calidum articulatum" are also susceptible as feeding plants of the moth. Caterpillars bore into midrib, by leaving red markings and small holes on the leaves. Then it bore in the upper portion of stem, causing "dead heart" symptoms. Gradually, side branches start growing from a lower node, giving a characteristic "bunchy top" appearance to the plant. Most effective method is using biological predators and parasitoids. It is