The International Oryza Map Alignment Project (IOMAP): A Genus-Wide Comparative Genomics Platform for the Identification and Utilization of “exotic” Genetic Variation for the Improvement of Cultivated Rice

The genus Oryza is composed of 2 cultivated species of rice (O. sativa and O. glaberrima) plus 22 wild relatives that can be found in a wide range of habitats across the globe and span 15 million years of evolutionary diversification. The Oryza species include 16 diploids and 8 polypolids (divided into 10 genome types) that vary in genome size from ~ 300Mb to 1.2Gb. The wild relatives of rice contain a virtually untapped reservoir of genes and genetic variation that can be used to improve cultivated rice. To better understand the Oryza genus as a whole we generated a set of publicly available genomic resources that include BAC libraries (18), physical maps (18), and high quality genome (11) and transcriptome (15) assemblies. Analysis of these data sets revealed that reliance on a single reference genome for world’s most important food crop is insufficient if we are to systematically and efficiently broaden the genetic base of cultivated rice.

In this talk, IOMP will be discussed in the context of the International Rice Informatics Consortium (IRIC) as we forge a new and bold path to help solve a population explosion that will surpass 9 billion human inhabitants in less than 40 years.