Prelims: Current events of national and international importance|Sustainable Development
Why in news?
Recently scientists from China have assembled the first pangenome for Asian rice.
Pangenome – It is a comprehensive genetic blueprint of a species that includes,
Core genes, which is common to all individuals in a species.
Accessory or unique genes present in some, but not all, varieties.
It shows the complete genetic diversity within a species.
First pangenome of Asian rice – It is created by analysing genomes from 144 varieties of wild and cultivated rice from Asia.
Evolutionary Findings – The study reinforced the hypothesis that all Asian cultivated rice originated from a wild variety called Or-IIIa (ancestor of japonica).
Asian cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.) was domesticated from its wild progenitor O. rufipogon.
About 20% of genes are unique to wild rice, which has traits that can improve resilience and yield.
Significance
Crop Improvement - It enables development of new rice cultivars with Higher yield, Drought and heat resistance, Disease and pest tolerance.
Climate Adaptation- It helps address climate-related risks such as reduced productivity due to rising temperatures and arsenic uptake in rice grains.
It is essential in countries like India, which is already witnessing a 0.7°C rise in average temperature since 1901.
Sustainable Agriculture– The wild rice genes can improve environmental adaptability, regeneration potential, and Genetic diversity in modern rice breeding programs.
ICAR recently announced development of two genome-edited rice varieties (Samba Mahsuri and MTU 1010) with higher yields and better drought resistance.
Thepangenomic data will accelerate India’s efforts in crop biotechnology.
