Chinese scientists are on the verge of cracking the genetic code for high-yield, fine-quality, insect-resistant paddy rice, said Yu Jun, a scientist in charge of the human genome program with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Wednesday in Shanghai.

He told the on-going 2002 International Human Genome Meeting that scientists would continue comparative research on genes of different paddy rice strains in a bid to identify the functional genes for high yield and insect resistance, which will help increase the quality and quantity of paddy rice.

60,000 paddy genes to be analyzed to produce two major nutrition sources

Chinese scientists plan to analyze the 60,000 paddy genes to establish their ability to produce amylose and scleroprotein, two major nutrition sources.

The U.S. published Science magazine earlier this month issued a cover story on Chinese scientists' achievements on drawing out the paddy gene framework and the data collected by Chinese scientists is now shared by their counterparts around the world.

Yu told Xinhua that the research would focus on paddy gene description, adding that as scientists compare the genes of the " Super Hybrid Rice" with that of other strains of paddy rice, they can discover the reason for high yield.

Chinese scientist Yuan Longping first developed the super hybrid rice, with the record yield of 17,055 kilograms (37,599 lb) per hectare registered in Yongsheng County in Yunnan Province in 1999.

As the most important grain crop, paddy rice sustains half the world's population. The mystery of high-yield is regarded as the key to solving world hunger problems.

Significance of the research work

The research work on paddy genes completed by Chinese scientists is the largest project on plant gene research, with the workload accounting for one seventh of the human genome project.

Yu Jun said that China's research on detecting functional paddy genes would end next year. Scientists would shift research emphasis to probing the interaction of various paddy genes, which would keep the high-yield genetic information stable in large-scale paddy planting.

He noted that Chinese scientists wished to use the world's leading research technology on the paddy gene to upgrade paddy strains, which would benefit all humankind.

Chen Zhu, vice-president of CAS, told Xinhua that paddy rice accounts for 40 percent of grain output in China where there is a scarcity of arable land.

"The value is immeasurable in solidifying China's grain security if we plant high-yield, good-quality paddy with limited arable land," said Chen Zhu.

( April 18, 2002)