This is the VOA SpecialEnglish AGRICULTURE REPORT.
Scientists have identified almost all the genes found in rice.Two teams published separate versions of the genetic information forrice plants this month. This is the first time scientists havemapped the genes of an important crop.
The scientists say this geneticinformation could lead to improved kinds of rice and better riceproduction in developing countries. They also expect the informationto be useful in improving other grains, such as corn and wheat.
Rice feeds more than half the world’s population. However,weather conditions, disease and insects can restrict its production.That may change because of the efforts of the scientific teams. Theyreported their findings in the publication Science.
One group was led by Jun Yu of the Beijing Genomics Institute inChina and the University of Washington in Seattle. His group studiedindica, the rice most commonly grown in China. The group says it hasidentified more than ninety percent of the genes in indica rica.
The other scientists work for Syngenta company based inSwitzerland. They did the research at the company’s Torrey MesaResearch Institute in La Jolla (La HOY-ah) California. They createda map of japonica, a short- grain rice grown in warm climates.Syngenta claims its map is more than ninety-nine percent completeand ninety-nine percent correct.
Both teams say they are sharing their findings with the public onthe Internet computer system. A third team led by Japanesescientists is working independently to produce a genetic map ofrice. It expects to produce another version of the rice genome laterthis year.
The chief editor of Science magazine said he believes the ricegenome could prove more important in the next few years than thehuman genome. He noted that more people depend on rice than anyother crop.
Science magazine published a commentary with one of the reports.Jeffrey Bennetzen of Purdue University in Indiana noted that thescientists found that rice has more genes than a number of otherorganisms. The studies found that a rice plant has betweenforty-five-thousand and fifty-five-thousand genes. Humans arebelieved to have about thirty-five-thousand genes.
This VOA Special English AGRICULTURE REPORT was written by GeorgeGrow.