Rice Pangenome: 144 Varieties Mapped for Climate Resilience
Why in the news
An international team assembled the first pangenome of rice, aiming to help breeders develop higher-yielding, climate-hardy varieties.
Key facts
- Pangenome: captures core as well as variety-specific genes across a species; compared in scope to the Human Genome Project.
- Data: 144 wild and cultivated varieties across Asia.
- Older reference genome covered a single variety (O. sativa ssp. japonica); the pangenome adds 3.87 billion base pairs and 69,000+ genes.
- About 20% of genes found are unique to wild rice and valuable for drought resistance, disease tolerance and climate resilience.
- Method: high-fidelity (HiFi) PacBio sequencing.
| Gene group | Count |
|---|---|
| Core genes | 28,907 |
| Wild-rice-specific genes | 13,728 |
Evolution findings
- All Asian cultivated rice descends from wild Or-IIIa, a form of Oryza rufipogon.
- Indica arose from hybridisation between ancient japonica and Or-I populations.
Climate and farming relevance
- Rice is the staple for nearly two-thirds of humanity; India’s output hit a record 220 million tonnes in 2024-25.
- Risks: 0.7°C warming since 1901; 2024 was the hottest year recorded; studies warn of lower yields and more arsenic uptake.
- ICAR’s genome-edited versions of Samba Mahsuri and MTU 1010 await field release.
- Uses of the pangenome: precision breeding and moving resilience genes from wild to cultivated rice.
GM crop regulation in India
| Body / law | Role |
|---|---|
| Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (FSSAI) | No import, making, use or sale of GM food without approval |
| RCGM (under DBT) | Oversees GMO research and development, biosafety in early stages |
| SBCC | State-level monitoring of biosafety guidelines; nodal agency |
| DLC | District-level inspection; reports violations |
| GEAC (under MoEFCC) | Final authority; environmental clearance for GM trials and release under EP Act, 1986 |
Approval is case by case, with health and environmental risk checks, field trial monitoring and stakeholder consultation.
Exam angle
- Pangenome versus single reference genome.
- GEAC sits under MoEFCC; RCGM under DBT.
- Number to remember: 144 varieties.