A new rice project is set to generate the whole genome sequences of 1,001 Philippine traditional rice varieties in search of novel genes for breeding high yielding, nutritious, and climate-smart varieties.
Philippine traditional rice varieties are untapped genetic resources that hold potential genes essential for rice improvement. Leveraging advancements in genomics and bioinformatics, researchers from the Philippine Genome Center Program for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Forestry (PGC-Agriculture) of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), in collaboration with the PGC-DNA Sequencing and Bioinformatics Core Facilities (DSCF) of UP Diliman, the Philippine Rice Research Institute of the Department of Agriculture (DA-PhilRice), and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), target to uncover their unique traits to support national efforts in enhancing rice production and ensuring food security.
The project, "Mining the Diversity of Philippine Traditional Rice Varieties through Whole Genome Sequencing and Bioinformatics," is funded by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD). It is part of a program with a parallel project on Rice Phenomics funded by the DA Rice Program. Together, these projects aim to contribute to the Philippine rice breeding programs using advanced technologies in genomics and phenomics.
Led by Dr. Maria Genaleen Q. Diaz of PGC-Agriculture, the project will sequence the whole genomes of 1,001 Philippine traditional rice varieties and assemble a reference genome of the ‘Dinorado’ variety. Dinorado is a traditional and aromatic rice variety, known for its excellent eating quality and high economic importance.
The genomic data will be instrumental in discovering target traits, such as herbicide tolerance, early maturity, low phytic acid content, and micronutrient density. These traits are expected to improve weed management, shorten growing periods to avoid typhoon damage, enhance seed germination in wet conditions, and boost rice’s nutritional value.
Another key output to be developed through the project is the Philippine Rice Genome Database (Ph Rice GDB)—a centralized platform for storing and analyzing genome data to support rice breeding initiatives.
During the project’s inception meeting, the objectives, methodologies, and expected outputs were discussed. Particular emphasis was placed on multi-agency partnership and efforts to enhance the bioinformatics capacity of researchers and students through specialized training and integration of genome data into rice breeding programs.
Members of the project team from PGC-Agriculture, UPLB, DA-PhilRice, and IRRI attended the online launch.
Also present were DOST-PCAARRD representatives led by Crops Research Division (CRD) Director Leilani D. Pelegrina, along with the Industry Strategic S&T Program (ISP) Manager for Rice Alvin Quiel C. Sabanal, with support from the Office of the Executive Director- Research and Development (OED-RD), and Finance and Administrative Division (FAD)-Accounting personnel.