Population genomic analysis unravels the evolutionary roadmap of pericarp color in rice

Pigmented rice stands out for its nutritional value and is gaining more and more attention. Wild rice, domesticated red rice, and weedy rice all have a red pericarp and a comprehensive genetic background in terms of the red-pericarp phenotype. We performed population genetic analyses using 5104 worldwide rice accessions, including 2794 accessions with red or black pericarps, 85 of which were newly sequenced in this study. The results suggested an evolutionary trajectory of red landraces originating from wild rice, and the split times of cultivated red and white rice populations were estimated to be within the past 3500 years. Cultivated red rice was found to feralize to weedy rice, and weedy rice could be further re-domesticated to cultivated red rice. A genome-wide association study based on the 2794 accessions with pigmented pericarps revealed several new candidate genes associated with the red-pericarp trait for further functional characterization. Our results provide genomic evidence for the origin of pigmented rice and a valuable genomic resource for genetic investigation and breeding of pigmented rice.