Scientists Unlock Rice Diversity

An international collaboration by researchers from Asia, North America and Europe has made it possible to better understand the genetic diversity of rice which in turn will help improve rice production. The online Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences discussed the findings of the research team which scrutinized the genomes of 20 different types of genetically diverse rice used in international breeding.

Scientists are zeroing on single nucleotide polymorphisms or SNP that differentiate rice varieties. International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Director General Robert Zeigler says, "If breeders know more about the genetic makeup of rice, they can use it more effectively. As we face more erratic changes in climate, we will increasingly rely on using the untapped diversity of rice to develop new and improved rice varieties."

Collaborators include the Colorado State University, Michigan State University, Perlegen Sciences, Inc., McGill University, the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, the Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, and Cornell University with support from a consortium of institutions and donors including the Generation Challenge Program, and the United States Department of Agriculture.

For the IRRI press release visit http://beta.irri.org/news/