The Guardian of the Thai Jasmine Rice
Thailand’s participation in the International Rice Genome Sequencing Project (IRGSP) has brought genomic innovation into rice breeding. To drive Thailand further into the post-genomic era, the Rice Gene Discovery (RGD) Unit was established in April 2001, a collaboration between NSTDA and Kasetsart University (KU); seven years later, the Rice Science Center, KU’s research network at Kamphangsaen campus, was established. The ultimate goal of the twin centers is bridging functional genomics and rice breeding. We start from genetic map position to map-based cloning in order to design the most efficient marker-assisted selection. The highlight is the map-based cloning of aromatic gene from Jasmine rice that eventually became the universal aromatic gene of the entire plant kingdom.
The technology has been granted a US patent to protect its intellectual property. The breakthrough discovery has a significant implication for the country’s rice breeding programs and genetic...
The Guardian of the Thai Jasmine Rice
Thailand’s participation in the International Rice Genome Sequencing Project (IRGSP) has brought genomic innovation into rice breeding. To drive Thailand further into the post-genomic era, the Rice Gene Discovery (RGD) Unit was established in April 2001, a collaboration between NSTDA and Kasetsart University (KU); seven years later, the Rice Science Center, KU’s research network at Kamphangsaen campus, was established. The ultimate goal of the twin centers is bridging functional genomics and rice breeding. We start from genetic map position to map-based cloning in order to design the most efficient marker-assisted selection. The highlight is the map-based cloning of aromatic gene from Jasmine rice that eventually became the universal aromatic gene of the entire plant kingdom.
The technology has been granted a US patent to protect its intellectual property. The breakthrough discovery has a significant implication for the country’s rice breeding programs and genetic conservation. Now, rice breeders can make a “cosmetic” improvement of Thai Jasmine rice without disturbing the superior grain quality. Even more ambitious is to recombine all kinds of resistance into the so-called “Super Jasmine”. We are re-engineering the new aromatic rice to become more nutritious, in trend with the new lifestyle of modern society. The innovative rice strains will support Thailand’s rice industry from grassroots to the competitiveness of the global market.
Rice Science Center & Rice Gene Discovery Unit | Kasetsart University, Kamphaengsaen Campus | Nakhonpathom, 73140 Thailand
T: +66 (0) 3435 5193 | vanavichit@gmail.com | dna.kps.ku.ac.th
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