A change in a single position of a rice plant’s genetic code lets it hold onto grains until harvest, new research suggests. The finding may give scientists new insights into how people domesticated rice, a food eaten daily by about half the world’s population.
Unlike its wild-grass relatives that scatter seeds readily once they ripen, rice plants keep a firm grip on their seeds after they mature. This process enables rice farmers to collect grains easily to replant or process into food.