Karla Cordero Lara

Researcher - Chilean Agricultural Research Institute (INIA-Chile)

Agricultural Engineer and Master in Horticulture from the University of Talca, PhD in Plant Genetic Improvement from the University of California Davis, USA. She has been working since 2005 as a researcher at the Chilean Agricultural Research Institute (INIA-Chile) as a plant geneticist in wheat and rice breeding programs. Her main research lines are focused on the genetic and molecular characterization of abiotic stresses that limit Chilean rice production. The development of rice varieties with high cold tolerance, short life cycle and water use efficient. And more recently, developing new cultivation systems, called Climate Smart Rice (CSR) in which new aerobic rice varieties are combined with SRI (System rice intensification) adapted practices, to face climate change and reduce the GEI emissions. All these topics are currently addressed through different projects such as FONTAGRO, FIA, FIC Maule among others. Also, she has released 5 improved rice varieties to the market, Zafiro INIA, Cuarzo INIA, Esmeralda INIA, Jaspe FL-INIA, Ónix INIA (first Chilean black rice) and participated in the team in Platino INIA. Currently Zafiro INIA, is the most planted variety, using 70% of the total national rice area.