[Major domestication traits in Asian rice]

Area of Science:

• Plant genetics
• Crop domestication
• Evolutionary biology

Context:

• Rice (Oryza sativa L.) serves as a crucial model for understanding cereal domestication.
• Key domestication events include loss of seed shattering, weakened dormancy, and altered plant architecture, leading to modern high-yield varieties.
• These traits facilitate high-yield, uniform germination, and dense planting in agriculture.

Purpose:

• To review recent advancements in the molecular mechanisms underlying rice domestication traits.
• To highlight the evolution of genetic networks controlling these traits.
• To provide new perspectives for rice domestication and molecular breeding.

Summary:

• Loss of seed shattering (Sh4, qSH1), weakened dormancy (Sdr4, qSD7-1, qSD12), and erect plant architecture (PROG1) are critical domestication events in rice.
• Changes in reproductive habit from outcrossing to self-pollination also played a role in fixing domestication genes.
• Current research is shifting from individual genes to understanding the complex genetic networks governing domestication.

Impact:

• Advances in functional genomics are revealing the molecular basis of domestication.
• Network-based research offers a more comprehensive understanding of the rice domestication process.
• This review provides insights for future rice domestication strategies and molecular breeding efforts.