A. Report of the Coordinating Committee of Rice Genetics Cooperative

Thanks to the untiring efforts of the many rice scientists, rules for gene symbolization and nomenclature were prepared and published in Rice Genetics Newsletter 3. These were formally approved by the Coordinating Committee of RGC in October 1987. We hope the rice geneticists will adhere to these rules. The new gene symbols should be reported by the author to the convenor of the committee on Gene Symbolization, Nomenclature and Linkage Groups for examination before publication. The convener (Dr. T. Kinoshita, Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Kita 9, Nishi 9, Sapporo, 060 Japan) will register the gene symbol, after examination for priority and validity, with the assistance of coordinators for respective traits.

We are happy to announce that the two Genetic Stock Centers are functioning well. A list of gene stocks available at the Rice Genetic Stock Center, IRRI was published in RGN 4. We request the cooperation of rice geneticists to deposit the duplicate seed samples of the new gene stocks with either of the Stock Centers.

As the report of the committee on Genetic Engineering indicates, information on the molecular genetics of rice is accumulating rapidly.We are glad than an RFLP map of rice has been prepared, regeneration from the protoplasts of Japonica and Indica rices has been achieved and transgenic rice plants have been obtained. These protocols provide powerful tools for solving specific problems of rice improvement. We are happy to note that there are a number of research reports on molecular genetics in this volume.

The Second International Rice Genetics Symposium will be held on May 14-18, 1990 at IRRI. The response to the first circular was enthusiastic. Second circular will be mailed in January 1989.

M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman and T. Matsuo, Co-chairman.


Second International Rice Genetics Symposium

The first International Rice Genetics Symposium, held in May 1985, brought together 200 rice geneticists from all over the world for five days of discussions. It led to the birth of the Rice Genetics Cooperative (RGC) for promoting international cooperation in rice genetics. You will be happy to learn that RGC is planning or organize the Second International Rice Genetics Symposium from May 14 to 18, 1990, at the International Rice Research Institute, Los Banos, Philippines. The following topics will be discussed. Papers will be divided into oral presentations and posters.

1. Systematics and evolution

2. Varietal differentiation and reproductive barriers

3. Rice karyotype, polyploids, aneuploids, and translocations

4. Genetic markers and linkage maps

5. Genetics of morphological traits

6. Genetics of physiological traits

7. Genetics of stress tolerance

8. Genetics of disease resistance

9. Genetics of insect resistance

10. Genetics of quantitative traits

11. Cytoplasmic male sterility and fertility restoration

12. Mutagenesis

13. Tissue and cell culture

14. Molecular genetics

15. Genetic engineering


The proceedings will be published in book form. An international committee for preparing the program has been established with the following membership: Co- chairmen: Dr. M.S. Swaminathan and Dr. H.I. Oka; Secretaries: Dr. G.S. Khush and Dr. Y. Futsuhara; Members: Dr. M.H. Heu (Korea), Dr. M. Jacquot (France), Prof. Min Shao-kai (China), Dr. T. Kinoshita (Japan), Dr. J.N. Rutger (USA), Dr. E.Q. Siddique (India), Dr. L.A. Sitch (IRRI), Dr. G. Toenniessen (USA), Dr. H.K. Wu (China), and R. Ray Wu (USA).


If you are interested in attending the Symposium, please write to one of the followings by April 30, 1989.

Dr. G.S. Khush, International Rice Research Institute, PO Box 933, 1099 Manila, Philippines

Prof. Y. Futsuhara, Faculty of Agriculture, Nagoya University, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-01 Japan