C4 Rice-An Advance Technique for Enhancing Rice Production

Introduction of C4 photosynthetic pathway into rice has the potential to dramatically enhance the yields of rice. The genetic regulations of features involved in C4 photosynthesis are not clearly understood; which partially explains why we have gained little success in C4 engineering. Sequencing techniques and other high throughput technologies are offering an unprecedented opportunity to elucidate the developmental and evolutionary processes of C4 photosynthesis. Crops like rice with an enhanced photosynthetic mechanism would better utilize the solar radiation that can be translated into yield. This review provides a summary of the factors that need to be modified in rice so that the C4 pathway can be introduced successfully. It also discusses the differences between the C3 and C4 photosynthetic pathways in terms of anatomy, biochemistry and genetics. Different methods used for enhancing photosynthetic activity. This will subsequently help in producing more grain yield, reduce water loss and increase nitrogen use efficiency especially in hot and dry environments.