The journal gave high praise for the largest gene research project conducted by Chinese scientists independently on the precise sequencing of a single chromosome, calling it an important contribution to botanical biology.

According to the article, entitled Sequence and Analysis of Rice Chromosome 4, in addition to the sequencing, the scientists also carried out a comparative analysis of the chromosomes of the two rice subspecies, the first of its kind to discover the evolutionary relationship and variations of the two rice subspecies.

The scientists found a total of 35 million base pairs in rice chromosome four with an accuracy rate of up to 99.99 percent, the article noted.

Prof. Han Bin, head of the Chinese researchers team dedicated to rice chromosome sequencing and director of the China National Center for Gene Research (NCGR), said that, since rice has 12 chromosomes, its exact genetic structure could be determined by genome sequencing, which could in turn provide the basis for the genetic breeding of high-yield and pest-resistant rice.

The research findings would undoubtedly contribute significantly and substantially to the solution to food shortage issue in the world.

China's sequencing of chromosome four constitutes one-tenth of the workload of the International Rice Genome Sequencing Project, initiated in 1998 by 11 countries and regions including Japan, the United States, France, China and Taiwan province.

(Xinhua News Agency November 22, 2002)