Pigmented rice, such as black, brown, and red rice, is rich in vital microelements, consisting of iron, zinc, copper, selenium, and manganese. Credit: © 2023 KAUST; Khalid Sedeek.
KAUST scientists are working to improve the agronomic characteristics of pigmented rice ranges utilizing genomic studies and CRISPR technology. Their focus is on enhancing nutrient-rich ranges like the black Indonesian rice Cempo Ireng, transforming it into a much shorter, earlier developing range to enhance its appeal to farmers. Their next task is to improve the performance of Hassawi rice, a culturally considerable red rice variety native to Saudi Arabia.
Essential research study uses opportunities for new varieties of pigmented rice and a resource to resolve poor nutrition.
Pigmented rice is understood to be much more healthy than white rice and could be an essential resource to improve human health and fight poor nutrition. Improved yield and agronomic characteristics are needed if these ranges, which consist of black, brown, and red, are to end up being commonly accepted by farmers.
KAUST researchers are working to improve the agronomic characteristics of pigmented rice ranges using genomic studies and CRISPR innovation. Their focus is on enhancing nutrient-rich varieties like the black Indonesian rice Cempo Ireng, changing it into a much shorter, earlier growing range to boost its appeal to farmers. Their next job is to enhance the efficiency of Hassawi rice, a culturally significant red rice range native to Saudi Arabia.
Mahfouz and his group now plan to enhance a regional red rice variety understood as Hassawi rice. By utilizing CRISPR technology, the group aims to improve the performance and other key characteristics of Hassawi rice to meet the special needs of the local Saudi market.
A worldwide team led by KAUSTs Magdy Mahfouz and Khalid Sedeek has actually shown that preferable agronomic traits of much shorter stem length and early maturity can be presented into black rice.
Sedeek, a postdoc in Mahfouzs laboratory, says the initial step towards making these improvements has been to collect thorough genomic info.
” Even though the genomes of a number of japonica and indica rice varieties have actually been put together, full genome series are just readily available for a couple of pigmented varieties,” he says.
The scientists picked three black and 2 red rice varieties for whole-genome sequencing. To detect further genetic variation, they sequenced an additional 46 ranges.
” The next action was to examine the composition of these varieties to recognize those with superior nutrition as prospects for enhancement,” says Sedeek. To do this, the researchers evaluated 63 ranges of black, red, and wild rice, with black rice showing the very best nutrient content across a large range of compounds, including carbohydrates, amino acids, secondary metabolites, vitamins, peptides, and lipids.
Pigmented rice (especially black rice) is likewise rich in vital microelements, including iron, zinc, manganese, selenium, and copper. In specific, the black Indonesian rice Cempo Ireng (the wealthiest rice in iron and the wealthiest black rice genotype in zinc) could provide the everyday requirements of these important elements.
The researchers used these nutrient and metal-ion profiles to identify numerous nutrient-rich varieties with greater levels of anti-oxidants and other beneficial substances and aspects, which could be likely ranges for improvement.
One of these was Cempo Ireng. However, regardless of its bug and illness resistance, farmers are unwilling to cultivate Cempo Ireng due to its long stem and five-month life cycle. Sedeek established a regrowth and change system in Cempo Ireng and then used CRISPR/Cas 9 to knock out three flowering time repressors, leading to a much shorter earlier maturing variety.
The improved agronomic characteristics in pigmented rice varieties have the possible to make them more ideal for growing and incorporation into the food chain. Mahfouz notes, more work is required to identify whether these crafted traits can co-exist with other important qualities, such as yield, in pigmented rice.
” Nevertheless,” he states, “This research provides crucial resources for crop bioengineers and breeders to continue enhancing pigmented rice and harness its potential advantages for human health.”
Mahfouz and his team now prepare to improve a regional red rice variety called Hassawi rice. This specific rice stress, which is belonging to Saudi Arabia, holds immense cultural and economic significance in the region. By using CRISPR innovation, the group intends to enhance the productivity and other key traits of Hassawi rice to fulfill the special demands of the regional Saudi market.
Reference: “Multi-omics resources for targeted agronomic improvement of pigmented rice” by Khalid Sedeek, Andrea Zuccolo, Alice Fornasiero, Annika M. Weber, Krishnaveni Sanikommu, Sangeetha Sampathkumar, Luis F. Rivera, Haroon Butt, Saule Mussurova, Abdulrahman Alhabsi, Nurmansyah Nurmansyah, Elizabeth P. Ryan, Rod A. Wing and Magdy M. Mahfouz, 11 May 2023, Nature Food.DOI: 10.1038/ s43016-023-00742-9.