ABSTRACT
Rice is one of the most important plant species used by mankind, as it forms the staple diet of more than three billion people. Rice grain production accounts for 29% of cereal production worldwide. It is grown in all continents, but it is most important in Asia. Rice genome sequencing began with the accumulation of the necessary resources. Several dense saturated genetic maps had been produced in Japan, US, France, Korea, accumulating thousands of markers. Sequencing of the rice genome revealed several additional important features. High throughput functional genomic methods, such as proteomic, metabolomic, and interactomic techniques are slowly emerging, the delays being due to the necessity to finish an accurate genome sequence, to re-annotate it and to mobilize money and manpower to develop and fully exploit these strategies. Amongst the identified genes, there are no major changes in the functional categories in comparison to Arabidopsis thaliana.
