Tailored rice via 'Haplotype-based breeding' for a food and nutritionally secure world

Tailored rice via 'Haplotype-based breeding' for a food and nutritionally secure world


Rice is the one of the most important cereal crop that is consumed over half of the world’s population. Have you ever wondered on how new and superior rice varieties are being developed? Well, actually efforts have been made at various levels to improve rice grain yield and nutrition profile.'

The good news is that over 2000 genes associated with various major traits have been cloned and functionally characterized in rice. In addition, researchers have sequenced over 3000 rice diverse genomes (3K-RGP).

In their recent paper published in Plant Biotechnology Journal, researchers have decoded haplotypes (variants of genes) for about 120 key genes associated with grain yield and quality traits in rice. Haplotype analysis explained possible genetic basis for superiority of selected mega‐varieties.

Further, they report the superior most haplotype combination for developing tailored rice variety suiting future food and nutritional demands. A new comprehensive breeding approach called ‘Haplotype-based breeding’ was developed to utilize these better performing haplotypes in rice breeding programs.

“It is imperative to bring in better performing haplotypes into field for increased yield and nutrient profile via haplotype-based breeding for ensuring food and nutritional security, particularly in the face of changing climate” says the senior author.

“The identified superior haplotypes can be efficiently assembled into any genetic background to develop promising elite rice varieties using haplotype-based breeding” says another author.

In the coming years, this strategy is expected to play a vital role in translating the genomic information into superior rice varieties for a food and nutritionally secure future.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/pbi.13087
    

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