AUTHOR=Xie Yan-Ning , Qi Qian-Qian , Li Wan-Hong , Li Ya-Li , Zhang Yu , Wang Hui-Mei , Zhang Ya-Fen , Ye Zi-Hong , Guo De-Ping , Qian Qian , Zhang Zhong-Feng , Yan Ning 

TITLE=Domestication, breeding, omics research, and important genes of Zizania latifolia and Zizania palustris

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2023.1183739

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2023.1183739

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>Wild rice (<italic>Zizania</italic> spp.), an aquatic grass belonging to the subfamily Gramineae, has a high economic value. <italic>Zizania</italic> provides food (such as grains and vegetables), a habitat for wild animals, and paper-making pulps, possesses certain medicinal values, and helps control water eutrophication. <italic>Zizania</italic> is an ideal resource for expanding and enriching a rice breeding gene bank to naturally preserve valuable characteristics lost during domestication. With the <italic>Z. latifolia</italic> and <italic>Z. palustris</italic> genomes completely sequenced, fundamental achievements have been made toward understanding the origin and domestication, as well as the genetic basis of important agronomic traits of this genus, substantially accelerating the domestication of this wild plant. The present review summarizes the research results on the edible history, economic value, domestication, breeding, omics research, and important genes of <italic>Z. latifolia</italic> and <italic>Z. palustris</italic> over the past decades. These findings broaden the collective understanding of <italic>Zizania</italic> domestication and breeding, furthering human domestication, improvement, and long-term sustainability of wild plant cultivation.</p>