Here, we review recent progress in genetic and genomic studies of the diversity of Oryza species. In recent years, unlocking the genetic diversity of Oryza species has provided insights into the genomics of rice domestication, heterosis, and complex traits. Genome sequencing and analysis of numerous wild rice (Oryza rufipogon) and Asian cultivated rice (Oryza sativa) accessions have enabled the identification of genome-wide signatures of rice domestication and the unlocking of the origin of Asian cultivated rice. Moreover, similar studies on genome variations of African rice (Oryza glaberrima) cultivars and their closely related wild progenitor Oryza barthii accessions have provided strong evidence to support a theory of independent domestication in African rice. Integrated genomic approaches have efficiently investigated many heterotic loci in hybrid rice underlying yield heterosis advantages and revealed the genomic architecture of rice heterosis. We conclude that in-depth unlocking of genetic variations among Oryza species will further enhance rice breeding.
Keywords: complex traits; domestication; genome sequencing; genotyping; heterosis; hybrid vigor; plant fitness; rice breeding.