Yumin Huang

School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, China
Author    Correspondence author
Rice Genomics and Genetics, 2024, Vol. 15, No. 3   doi: 10.5376/rgg.2024.15.0015
Received: 12 May, 2024    Accepted: 14 Jun., 2024    Published: 25 Jun., 2024

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Huang Y.M., 2024, Nutrient content and yield in rice: genetic intersections and breeding opportunities, Rice Genomics and Genetics, 15(3): 142-152 (doi: 10.5376/rgg.2024.15.0015)

The domestication of Oryza sativa, a staple food crop for over half the global population, is a pivotal event in agricultural history. This study synthesizes findings from multiple studies to elucidate the pathways of rice domestication from its wild ancestor, Oryza rufipogon. Phylogeographic analyses suggest that O. rufipogon exhibits a center of diversity in India and Indochina, with evidence supporting at least two independent domestication events leading to the major rice varieties, O. sativa indica and O. sativa japonica. Genome sequencing of a wide array of O. rufipogon and cultivated rice varieties has identified selective sweeps and domestication-associated traits, pinpointing the origin of O. sativa japonica to the Pearl River's middle area in southern China and the subsequent development of O. sativa indica from crosses between japonica and local wild rice. Furthermore, a comparative genomics study of Dongxiang wild rice and Nipponbare (O. sativa) has revealed significant structural variations and gene flow, highlighting the role of transposable elements and adaptations in the photophosphorylation and oxidative phosphorylation systems during domestication. This study integrates these insights to provide a comprehensive understanding of the genetic and evolutionary processes that have shaped the domestication of rice.

Oryza sativa; Oryza rufipogon; Domestication; Phylogeography; Genome variation