Rice Genome Project Gets $12.3 Million

October 6, 1999

USDA, the Energy Department and the National Science Foundation have awarded $12.3 million to map and sequence the genome of the rice plant, research that may lead to increased uses of rice as well as improved quality and crop yields.

The grants were awarded to the Institute for Genomics Research Maryland and to a consortium of Clemson University in South Carolina, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York and Washington University in Missouri. Their efforts will be coordinated to sequence chromosome 10, the chromosome assigned to the United States for sequencing by the International Rice Genome Working Group.

When completed, rice will be the second largest genome to be completely sequenced. The effort is significant because rice shares common sets of genes with most of the world's major food crops. The relatively small size of the rice genome makes it an ideal model system for understanding the genomic sequences of other major grass crops including corn, wheat, rye, barley, sorghum, sugar cane and millet.

"What we might learn from this work can lead to better quality and improved crop yields," says Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman. "This kind of collaborative project will have a profound impact on the way research is conducted in the plant sciences and will accelerate advances in our understanding of the biology of plants."

Martha Krebs, director of the Office of Science at the Energy Department, says the sequence "will provide a powerful foundation for the development of innovative biobased products and bioenergy technology."

In addition to the United States, countries involved in the International Rice Genome Working Group are Canada, China, the European Union, France, India, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.