Chinese research team may have cracked secret to crossbreeding Asian and African rice

Chinese scientists have identified a genetic barrier that makes it hard to crossbreed African and Asian rice varieties – a discovery that could lay the foundations for creating high-yielding hybrids. While both Asian and African cultivated rice varieties have distinct strengths, crossing them often produces offspring with sterile pollen and low yields. A research team has now identified three genes that act as a barrier to reproduction – and also a possible way round the problem. “This...