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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, November 29, 2001

China Establishes Research Institute for Wild Rice

A research institute was established Wednesday in east China's Jiangxi Province for the protection and genetic use of Dongxiang wild rice, a rare rice strain which scientists say can survive harsh climatic conditions and natural disasters in the wild.


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A research institute was established Wednesday in east China's Jiangxi Province for the protection and genetic use of Dongxiang wild rice, a rare rice strain which scientists say can survive harsh climatic conditions and natural disasters in the wild.

Dongxiang wild rice is distributed in the northernmost region on earth and carries strong hereditary features, such as pest-resistant genes and genes that can help it survive cold weather and arid regions, said Chen Dazhou, director of the newly-founded institute.

Institute to Develop New Rice Strain
The research institute aims to develop new rice strains carrying the genetic advantages of the Dongxiang wild rice, and to obtain international patents for the new products.

Due to the expansion of human activities and ecological changes to the environment, the present growing area of the wild rice strain has been reduced to 0.2 hectares from two hectares when it was first discovered in the province.

To Protect The Rice by Introducing Bio-genetic Technology
Experts consider the best way to protect the strain is to introduce bio-genetic technology to develop the genes.

Competition in rice genetic research has been intensified with international rice genome-sequencing programs and the participation of large bio-tech companies in the research, said Li Guoqiang, director of the Science and Technology Department of the provincial government of Jiangxi.

He said Jiangxi is concentrating the research effort on the DNA identification of Dongxiang wild rice for commercial use.



Wild Rice

Wild rice flourishes best in muddy soil but will also grow in sand and gravel. It thrives naturally in shallow clear water where it is very dependant on the availability of light.

As the parent plant matures in late summer, grains ripen from the top of the seed spike down. These ripe grains fall through the water and sink into the sediment of the river or lake bed. These grains, longer than those of any other native grass, become buried in the sediment, there waiting to germinate when conditions are right.

In very clear water, wild rice grains can survive and germinate in depths of about 6 feet (2 metres), but in dark waters it will grow where levels are no more than 16-18 inches (40 centimeters). Wild rice grains can remain buried for up to 6 years, until the appropriate light and flowing water conditions germinate the grains.
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