Vietnamese rice genomes first sequenced

A collaboration of researchers from the UK and Vietnam has sequenced the genome of 36 lines of Vietnamese rice for the first time.

The Genome Analysis Centre (TGAC), the John Innes Centre (JIC), in Norwich (UK), and the Institute for Agricultural Genetics (AGI) in Hanoi (Vietnam) sought to characterise the genetic diversity found in traditional Vietnamese varieties to breed crops which will yield good harvests under changing climates.

“The fully sequenced genome of 36 selected local rice varieties will be used for different genetic and breeding research, including identification of gene functions and the development of molecular markers. This consequently will be used by different breeding groups to develop high yielding, high quality crops that are resistant to multiple biotic and abiotic factors. We are happy that the first part of work has been completed, we are ready now for the application of this research.” said AGI’s director Prof Le Huy Ham.

The completion of this project was marked today in a special event hosted by AGI in Hanoi with the presence of authorities from Vietnam’s ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST). Dr Mario Caccamo, TGAC’s acting director, and Dr Sarah Ayling, TGAC’s Computational Genomics group leader, also attended the event in Hanoi representing the UK’s contribution.

Dr Sarah Ayling said, “This is a first for rice from Vietnam, and the data will contribute to ongoing efforts by the international rice community. The variations identified between the genomes of these 36 varieties will be combined with information on the physical characteristics of these plants to search for variants associated with tolerance to climate stresses.”

Rice production in Vietnam, as in other places in the world, is threatened by increase flooding in river deltas, changing temperatures and other factors associated with changing climates such as new outbreaks of pests and diseases.

Dr Mario Caccamo said: “This is the result of a collaboration between the scientists in the UK and Vietnam that aims to join efforts to tackle some of the most urgent challenges the world faces in terms of food security”.