## 3 Origin, Taxonomy, Description, and Types of Rice  
Rice domestication occurred independently in China, India, and Indonesia, leading to three races of rice: _Sinica_ (also known as _Japonica_), _India_, and _Javanica_ (also known as \"bulu\" in Indonesia). Recent molecular evidence suggested that rice was first domesticated in China around 8000-13,500 years ago. The first domestication gave rise to the _Japonica_-like varieties from which the _India_ types afterwards diverged [9]. Meanwhile, it was reported that rice was cultivated in India between 1500 and 2000 B.C. and in Indonesia around 1648 B.C [10]. Rice has been grown in Europe since the eighth century in Portugal and Spain and by the ninth to the tenth century in southern Italy through European colonization [11]. The genus _Oryza_ L. belongs to the tribe _Oryza_e within the subfamily _Oryza_eave_ of the grass family _Paceae_ (_Gramineae_). This genus includes two cultivated species, _O. sativa_ L. and _O. glaberrima_ [PERSON], along with over 20 wild species found across tropical and subtropical regions [10]. Most countries cultivate _Oryza sativa_ based on ecogeographic races _India_, followed by _Japonica_ and _Javanica_ varieties. In Africa, a small amount of _Oryza glaberrima_ is grown. On the other hand, a so-called \"wild rice\" (_Zizania aquatica_) is grown in the Great Lakes region of the United States, which is more closely related to oats than to rice [11]. _India_ and _Japonica_ can be differentiated based on grain shapes and texture. _India_ is long grained and less sticky while _Japonica_ is usually short grained and sticky. They also differ in several other agronomic traits [12]. _Japonica_ rice plants are shorter in height, have darker leaves, better cold tolerance, as well as stronger resistance to lodging and non-shattering grains. However, it tends to have fewer tillers and a slower germination rate compared to _India_ rice [12]. More than 40,000 rice species are available in the world and are classified based on kernel size and length, reflecting different cooking characteristics and flavours. On the other hand, with respect to their ecology, rice have different heading (when panicle emerges from the leaf sheath), days to maturity, and disease resistance [12]. Additionally, rice grains exhibit a range of colours, including yellow, green, brown, red, purple, and black. These colours are derived from the deposited anthocyanins, which can be in different layers of pericarp, seed coat, or aleurone [13]. Pigmented rice has been recognized for its nutraceutical benefits, leading to its continued cultivation as niche rice in various regions worldwide. It is known to contain high amounts of total anthocyanin, total phenols, and polyphenols, which translates to their notable antioxidant potential. Most pigmented rice varieties, though highly nutritious, are traditional landraces that typically possess less favourable agronomic characteristics and produce lower yields than white rice, largely due to limited exposure to intensive selective breeding. In addition to this, pigmented rice varieties have longer cooking times, hard texture, and insufficient viscoelasticity, thus further limiting production. Lower agronomic traits (e.g., longer life cycle and lower yield) and quality traits (e.g., cooking and eating qualities) must be further improved to increase production and consumption [14]. Several methodologies are being developed and studied to improve the agronomic quality of pigmented rice. [PERSON] et al. [15] provided multi-omics resources for targeted agronomic improvement of Asian pigmented rice. The study showcased comprehensive phenotypic and genotypic evaluation of both pigmented and white rice germplasm, combined with the integration of desirable traits--such as high yield, optimal growth duration, and superior nutritional value. This can be effectively achieved through allele pyramiding using genomic molecular design.