SHENZHEN -- Chinese researchers have completed a digital genetic variation map of rice based on more than 10,000 rice samples, providing a new tool for further study of natural rice variations, especially rare variants.

Rice is one of the world's most important staple foods and crops. Its natural variation provides a key genetic basis for its possible genetic modification and modern breeding.

"The latest research result is like a 'digital map' for research on rice, offering clear guidance on its breeding," said Shang Lianguang, a researcher from the Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen (AGIS) under the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

With the help of this map, the researchers have corrected errors in the classification of some indica and japonica rice varieties, extensively analyzed the population frequencies of important functional genes in different rice subpopulations and identified excellent natural variations among them.

Based on the map, they also established an online database platform for global users, providing relevant scientific and research services for studies on rice.

This research result was recently published in the journal Nucleic Acids Research.