IRGSP received the Research Accomplishment Award Commemorating the International Year of Rice at the World Rice Research Conference

1. Title of Subject: Completion of decoding the rice genome
2. Awardee: The International Rice Genome Sequencing Project (IRGSP) Team

Representatives: National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences (NIAS) and Institute of Society for Techno-innovation of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (STAFF)

Achievement: The genome sequence of the japonica rice cultivar, Nipponbare, will be completely decoded by the end of year 2004. This significant milestone in plant sciences is accomplished under an international collaboration of ten countries or regions including the U.S.A., China, France, Taiwan, India, Korea, Thailand, United Kingdom, and Brazil that comprise the International Rice Genome Sequencing Project (IRGSP). The data obtained by the IRGSP are already available in the public domain and greatly encourages gene functional analysis not only in rice but other cereal crops as well. More importantly, the completed genome sequence is expected to facilitate the improvement of current rice varieties and the development of novel crops with high yield potential and tolerance to both biotic and abiotic stresses.

In particular, the Rice Genome Research Program (RGP) in Japan, a joint collaboration of the National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences and the Institute of Society for Techno-innovation of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, plays a central role in the sequencing effort by establishing the fundamental tools and resources for common use by the participating groups and by taking charge in sequencing six of the 12 rice chromosomes corresponding to almost half of total length of the entire genome.