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Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2026, Vol. 25 Issue (8): 3118-3125    DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2024.11.031
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The genetic control of long sterile lemma during African rice domestication

Liang Luo1, 2*, Wenkai Luo1*, Bin Gao1*, Kaihong Wang1, Sijing Ma1, Marie-Noelle Ndjiondjop3, Chuanqing Sun4, Zuofeng Zhu1#, Leqin Chang1, 2#

1 Frontiers Science Center for Molecular Design Breeding/National Center for Evaluation of Agricultural Wild Plants (Rice)/Department of Plant Genetics and Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China

2 Sanya Institute, China Agricultural University, Sanya 572025, China

3 Africa Rice Center, Cotonou 01 BP 4029, Benin

4 State Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China

 Highlights 
The first long sterile lemma gene lsl3 of African cultivated rice was reported.
The geographical distribution analysis of the lsl3 haplotypes provides a reference for the molecular evolution of African cultivated rice.
The key mutations comparison of lsl3 between African cultivated rice and Asian cultivated rice provides new evidence for the parallel domestication of rice and the independent origin of African cultivated rice.
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摘要  

水稻的花序和小穗结构单元对籽粒发育有着显著影响。在禾本科植物中,护颖是水稻特有的一种小穗器官。由于大多数关于护颖基因的研究主要集中在亚洲栽培稻(Oryza sativa L.)上,影响非洲稻护颖表型的基因尚未见报道。本研究鉴定出了一个位于第 7 号染色体短臂上的基因 lsl3该基因控制着非洲稻护颖的长度。进一步研究发现,在非洲稻中引起护颖 lsl3 关键突变和亚洲稻中不同。对 lsl3 的研究不仅为非洲栽培稻的分子进化提供了参考,还为水稻的平行驯化提供了新的证据。



Abstract  

The inflorescence and spikelet structural units of rice significantly impact grain development.  Among the grasses, the sterile lemma represents a unique spikelet organ exclusive to rice.  As most studies on sterile lemma genes primarily focus on Asian cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.), genes influencing the sterile lemma phenotype in African rice remain unreported.  This study identified lsl3, a gene located on the short arm of chromosome 7 that controls the sterile lemma length in African rice.  The key mutation of lsl3, leading to long sterile lemmas in African rice, was discovered and differed from that in Asian rice.  The investigation of lsl3 not only provides a reference for the molecular evolution of cultivated rice in Africa but also offers new evidence supporting the parallel domestication of rice and the independent origin of Oryza glaberrima.

Keywords:  Oryza glaberrima Steud.       Oryza sativa L.        long sterile lemma        independent origin        domestication  
Received: 08 July 2024   Accepted: 08 October 2024 Online: 13 November 2024  
Fund: 

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31925029) and the Ph D
Scientific Research and Innovation Foundation of Sanya Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City, China (HSPHDSRF-2023-05-003).  

About author:  #Correspondence Zuofeng Zhu, E-mail: zhuzf@cau.edu.cn; Leqin Chang, E-mail: changleqin@cau.edu.cn * These authors contributed equally to this study.

Cite this article: 

Liang Luo, Wenkai Luo, Bin Gao, Kaihong Wang, Sijing Ma, Marie-Noelle Ndjiondjop, Chuanqing Sun, Zuofeng Zhu, Leqin Chang. 2026. The genetic control of long sterile lemma during African rice domestication. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 25(8): 3118-3125.

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