Science finds genetic recipe for rice

Scientists today revealed the "life code" of rice - a breakthrough that should allow crops to be created to help feed an increasingly hungry world.

Two groups of researchers have published a draft genetic recipe for the plant - a staple for more than half the world's population - in the journal Science, which says the study is one of the most important it has published.

The information will become the platform that scientists use to unravel the genetic secrets of the other main cereals, such as maize and wheat.

Science editor Donald Kennedy said: "Rice is the most important crop in the world. I think this is more important even than the publication of the human genome."

Beijing's Genomics Institute and the University of Washington Genome Center read the code of the rice strain, known as indica, common in China. The second team, led by Swiss agrochemicals company Syngenta, decoded the japonica strain, which is popular in more arid regions and in Japan.

The genetic difference between the two is small but significant - a half to one per cent variation in the code. This is about 10 times the variation in the genetic codes of two humans. The research shows that a rice plant probably has more genes than a human - perhaps as many as 60,000 genes, compared with our 30-40,000.

However, the findings indicate that DNA added to genetically modified crops will not damage human health, according to the researchers. It appears that plant cells are incapable of "jumping" naturally into animals, resolving a common fear about the safety of GM crops.