What happened during domestication of wild to cultivated rice

Domestication of crops is one of the greatest inventions of the human race and has played a vital role in the progress of human civilization. Understanding the genetic mechanisms of crop domestication could shed light on its history and would advance crop breeding. Cultivated rice species, which were domesticated from wild rice species, are important food crops worldwide. Morphological traits, physiological characteristics, and ecological adaptability of cultivated rice are very different from those characters of wild rice. In this review, we summarize current knowledge of the genetic mechanisms underlying these differences between wild and cultivated rice and discuss the application of wild rice species in modern breeding. (C) 2021 Crop Science Society of China and Institute of Crop Science, CAAS. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.

Automated summary

Crop domestication has been a key factor in human civilization progress, and understanding the genetic mechanisms underlying the differences between wild and cultivated rice can help advance crop breeding efforts and food production.