BEIJING: Chinese scientists have developed a comprehensive digital genetic variation map of rice using over 10,000 rice samples. This map is a valuable tool for studying natural variations in rice, especially rare variants. Rice is a crucial staple food worldwide, and its natural variations offer a foundation for potential genetic modification and modern breeding techniques.
“The latest research result serves as a ‘digital map’ for rice research, offering precise insights into its breeding,” stated Shang Lianguang, a researcher from the Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen (AGIS) under the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
Thanks to this map, researchers have rectified misclassifications of some indica and japonica rice varieties, extensively analysed the population frequencies of essential functional genes in various rice subpopulations, and identified outstanding natural variations. Furthermore, they have created an online database platform to provide global users with access to scientific and research resources for rice studies.
This significant achievement was recently published in the journal Nucleic Acids Research, paving the way for further advances in rice breeding and genetic studies.
