Scientific communication among rice breeders in ten Asian nations

When the breeders were asked in which scientific publication they would most like to publish an article on their research, about half indicated journals in the highly developed nations. The breeders had authored or coauthored 183 published papers during the previous 2 years, about 2.4 papers/scientist per year. Fifty-three percent of the articles appeared in national publications; 23% in institutional publications; 18% in journals in highly developed nations; and 6% in international publications. The distribution of publication productivity was the same as that found among chemists, physicists, and other scientists in the highly developed nations: 50% of the scientific papers published during the 2 years were authored by only six breeders -- roughly the square root of the sample of 38 breeders. That suggests that Asian rice breeders have scientific norms similar to those of peer scientists abroad and that breeders" norms do not differ from those of other scientists. During the 2 years the 38 breeders had prepared or helped prepare 106 papers for presentation to peer scientists at professional conferences; 68% of the papers were presented at national or local meetings; 26% at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI); and 6% in other Asian nations. The breeders also prepared a total of 344 newspaper or magazine articles, radio broadcasts, extension publications, and teaching materials. Ninety-two percent of the total scientific literature read by the breeders was in English. The breeders rated the importance and percentage of use of 76 publications and personal information sources. The International Rice Research Institute Annual Report received the highest mean rating -- 6.46 on a scale where 7 was the most important -- and the highest rate of use (95%). Rated second most important information source was local problem-area scientists such as agronomists, entomologists, and pathologists.