Molecular Research in Rice: Agronomically Important Traits

Dear Colleagues,

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the most important food crop in the world, being a staple food for more than half of the world’s population. Recent improvements in living standards have increased the worldwide demand for high-yielding and high-quality rice cultivars. To achieve improved agricultural performance in rice, while overcoming the challenges presented by climate change, it is essential to understand the molecular basis of agronomically important traits. Recently developed techniques in molecular biology, including genomics and other omics, can reveal the complex molecular mechanisms involved in the control of agronomic traits. As rice was the first crop genome to be sequenced, in 2004, molecular research tools are well-established in rice, and further molecular studies—both now and in the future—will enable the development of novel rice cultivars showing superior agronomic performance.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to explore the molecular basis of agronomically important traits in rice, which is a monocot model crop species. Submissions focusing on a wide range of agronomic traits related to grain yield, grain quality, stress tolerance, and disease resistance are welcome. Studies using natural variation, mutants, and omics analysis, such as transcriptomics, epigenetics, and metabolomics, will also be greatly appreciated.

Dr. Kiyosumi Hori
Dr. Matthew Shenton
Guest Editors

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