(CS-11-4) Seeking new routes for the neodomestication in the genus Oryza: exploration of the genetic diversity of the wild relatives of rice in the Americas
Post Doctorate Center for Desert Agriculture, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Thuwal, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
Rice is a staple food for more than one-third of the world's population, and demand for rice production is predicted to increase twofold by 2050. Besides the cultivated rice species - i.e. the broadly consumed Asian rice, and the minor crop African rice - the genus Oryza comprises 25 wild species with a virtually untapped reservoir of genetic diversity that can be used for crop improvement (e.g. stress tolerance). Neodomestication, i.e. the domestication of wild species not previously cultivated by farmers, provides a significant means for food security and sustainable agriculture. Building upon the 2021 Cell paper describing the neodomestication of Oryza alta, a polyploid wild relative of rice, we proposed to explore the genetic diversity and adaptive variation of the four wild Oryza species native to the Americas via genome sequencing of in-situ populations and historical specimens.
Here, we present preliminary results from the first stage of the project, i.e. the collection of the historical specimens, the isolation of ancient DNA (aDNA) and the sequencing of aDNA libraries. Sampling was performed from several prestigious herbarium and museum collections – i.e., the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and the Natural History Museum in London; the Harvard University Herbaria and the Smithsonian Institution in the US; and the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris. This study panel includes the genetic diversity of wild Oryza species from many countries in the North, Central and South America, including rare samples from the Virgin Islands.
The utility of wild relatives for rice improvement depends on the availability of these genetic resources, either through viable in-situ populations or through ex-situ conservation. Evaluation of the genetic status, potential for erosion, and current conservation status of the species under study will inform on actions to take on biodiversity protection of the wild relatives of rice in the Americas.