grain of truth

How many rice varieties are there?

RUARAIDH SACKVILLE HAMILTON

common question but very difficult to answer. In Laos, we have found 3,500 distinct names in use, but Depending on your denition of variety, the answer many of the names are just generic terms like black rice could be anything from zero to around 500,000 or glutinous rice, each covering a multitude of different varieties of Oryza sativa (Asian cultivated rice). In the genetic entities. In a study of 95 samples of black rice from technical sense used by taxonomists (biologists who classify different parts of the country, we found no fewer than 45 organisms into groups based on evolutionary relationships), distinct varietiesand they can be enormously distinct. descriptions have been published of 14 varieties, but For example, leaf color varies from uniformly almost black most taxonomists now do not accept any of them as valid to variegated to normal green (a green-leaf variety can be taxonomic varietiesso, in this sense, the answer is zero. called black rice if some other part is black, such as the grain Cultivated varieties (abbreviated to cultivars to or the husk). So, the 3,500 names in Laos could represent distinguish from the taxonomists concept) are something 10,000 or more distinct varieties. different, but even then we count different numbers for Moreover, unlike modern varieties, traditional varieties different meanings. Many countries maintain an ofcial are often genetically variable: plants of one variety differ list of recognized varieties released within a eld, from eld to eld, for cultivation by farmers. In and from year to year. Therefore, countries with a legal system for even deciding whether or not two Depending on your denition protecting plant breeders rights, seed lots are sufciently similar to these varieties may have been be classied as the same variety is subjected to rigorous tests to not a trivial task. of variety, the answer could demonstrate that they are novel, So, how do I get 500,000 as an distinct from other varieties, upper limit? Its more or less a wild be anything from zero to uniform, and stable. guess. Indias 100,000 may be an The Inter nat iona l R ice overestimate, but, even if it is, its around 500,000 varieties Information System (IRIS; www. probably not too wildly out. If the iris.irri.org) recognizes around small Southeast Asian countries 5,000 released varieties. The actual each have 10,000, India could of Asian cultivated rice. number may be greater than 5,000 easily have more than 50,000. because no one has systematically Around 80 countries are rice collated all countries lists. It could producers. As a large country in the also be less because the same genetic variety can be released primary center of diversity of rice, it is not out of the question in more than one country with different entries in IRIS, that India could have 1020% of the worldwide total. under the same or a different name. And how many varieties do we have safely conserved in If you include traditional varieties (also known as the International Rice Genebank at the International Rice farmers varieties or landraces), the number goes up Research Institute? Right now, nowhere near the possible markedly. The M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation half-million total. The answer is around 100,000. This upper in India claims that India alone has 100,000 traditional limit is simply the number of accessions that we keep and varieties still in use by farmers around the country, and manage as separate entities. We have not yet begun the another 300,000 that have become extinct. challenging task of classifying them into varieties or sorting However, the task of counting them becomes very out which ones, if any, are genetic duplicates. difficult. Traditional varieties predate legal systems of Our priority now is to document and unravel this variety protection, and are named only for the farmers own fantastic functional diversity of rice so that we can better convenience, not for legal purposes. Therefore, counting one conserve it and use it for sustainable development in the name does not mean one variety (just like naming people years to come. many different people share the name Sarah even though they are unrelated). The same genetic entity may be known by different names in different communities, and the same Dr. Sackville Hamilton is the head of IRRIs T.T. Chang Genetic name may be used for different genetic entities. Resources Center.
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Rice Today October-December 2006