Zhongxian Li , Zufan Chen , Qifu Zhang

Hier Rice Research Center, Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resources, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China
Author    Correspondence author
Rice Genomics and Genetics, 2025, Vol. 16, No. 2   doi: 10.5376/rgg.2025.16.0009
Received: 10 Feb., 2025    Accepted: 25 Mar., 2025    Published: 12 Apr., 2025

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.

Li Z.X., Chen Z.F., and Zhang Q.F., 2025, Phylogenetic evolution of rice: a comprehensive review of domestication events and wild progenitors, Rice Genomics and Genetics, 16(2): 96-105 (doi: 10.5376/rgg.2025.16.0009)

This study reviews the phylogenetic process of rice, focusing on the domestication events and the key role of wild ancestors in rice domestication. The study suggests that indica and japonica, the major subspecies of Asian rice, may have been domesticated independently from different wild populations, although some domestication genes such as sh4 may have a single origin. Dynamic processes such as gene flow, gene introgression and hybridization between wild rice and cultivated rice significantly increased the genetic diversity of modern rice varieties. The domestication process of rice has multiple complexities and has been profoundly influenced by multiple gene exchanges between wild and cultivated populations. A thorough understanding of these domestication and evolutionary mechanisms is of great guiding significance for the breeding and conservation of rice varieties in the future. The purpose of this study is to provide theoretical basis and scientific reference for rice breeding and genetic improvement.

Rice domestication; Phylogenetic evolution; Wild progenitors; Genetic diversity; Introgression