While scientists race to complete human genome sequencing, researchers for Monsanto Co. have released a rough draft of the genetic makeup of rice, a first step in the mapping of all cereal grains. The research should speed up the project, slated for completion in 2008, by five years, says Gary Barton, spokesman for Monsanto's agriculture business. There are going to be many learning techniques that will come out of this that will be important in other crops. It's much more than just the rice applications.
Rice is the simplest of all cereals.
Others like barley, maize, and wheat are more complex versions of rice, Barton explains. By having the core cereal genome together, you have landmarks for all the important cereals. Rice is the most consumed food in the world. It is primarily produced in Asia, where an estimated one billion new consumers will be added in the next two decades. By 2020, four billion will depend on rice, according to projections by the International Rice Research Institute.