Current Status and Future Perspectives

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the leading genomics system among the crop plants. The sequence of the rice genome, the fi rst cereal plant genome, was published in 2005. This review summarizes progress made in rice genome annotations, comparative genomics, and functional genomics researches. It also maps out the status of rice genomics globally and provides a vision of future research directions and resource building. RICE (ORYZA SATIVA L.) is one of the most important crops feeding about half of the world’s popula-tion. With a compact genome, the cultivated rice spe-cies Oryza sativa represents a model for cereals as well as other monocot plants (Shimamoto and Kyozuka, 2002; Paterson et al., 2005; Xu et al., 2005). Because of the availability of the whole genome sequences of both indica and japonica subspecies and abundant genetic and genomic resources, including mutants and wild rice spe-cies, rice has become a model for comparative genome analysis. Th e completion of the genome sequence of rice in 2005 opens a new and exciting chapter in our quest to functionally characterize all of the annotated genes in rice (IRGSP, 2005). A systematic approach to character-izing these genes will allow us to dissect and understand the regulatory networks and evolutionary selection con-trolling such complex traits as yield, grain quality, biotic and abiotic stresses, reproductive barriers, epigenetics, and fl owering time. Th e next essential steps toward deci-phering the sequenced genome are to develop complete and accurate maps of actively transcribed regions dur-ing rice development, and to generate more and more genome-wide rice mutant resources. Th ese will facilitate the identifi cation of all the genes and proteins encoded in the DNA sequence. Such information will allo