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Rice Inherits Cold Tolerance Through Epigenetics

Rice Inherits Cold Tolerance Through Epigenetics

PWOnlyIAS

June 18, 2025

Rice Inherits Cold Tolerance Through Epigenetics

A landmark study published in Cell, demonstrated that rice plants (Oryza sativa) can inherit cold tolerance acquired through environmental exposure.

Key Findings of Study

  • Experiment: Researchers subjected rice plants to cold temperatures and observed improved seed quality and adaptation from the second generation onward.

About the Species: Rice (Oryza sativa)

  • It is one of the two main cultivated rice species, the other being Oryza glaberrima (African rice).
  • Oryza sativa has three sub-species: Indica, Japonica, and Javanica, each adapted to different regions and conditions.
  • Indica (common in India): tall plants, light green leaves, slender grains, high tillering.
  • Japonica: shorter plants, dark green leaves, round grains; Javanica: broad leaves, long panicles, poor tillering, suited for uplands.

Climatic Conditions for Cultivation

  • Climate: Grows best in tropical climates but also cultivated in subtropical and temperate regions.
  • Rainfall & Temperature: Requires 750–1250 cm rainfall annually; optimal temperatures are 30°C (day) and 20°C (night), tolerates up to 40°C briefly.
  • Sunlight: Adequate sunshine, especially during ripening, enhances grain quality and yield.
  • Soil: Prefers soils with pH 5.5–6.5, good water retention, and proper drainage.

Major Producing States (by share) (2024-25)

Uttar Pradesh (14%) >Telangana (11.47%) > West Bengal (11%) > Punjab(9.63%) > Odisha(6.45%)

  • Key Discovery:
    • The adaptation wasn’t due to changes in the DNA sequence (no significant genetic mutation).
    • Instead, it was caused by changes in epigenetic marks — specifically the methylation near a gene called ACT1.
    • In cold-adapted plants, this gene remained active (no methylation), enabling better survival.
    • These epigenetic changes were heritable, passed on to future generations

Significance of the Study

  • Scientific Paradigm Shift: Supports the notion that environmentally induced traits can be inherited, reviving aspects of Lamarckian evolution, traditionally considered obsolete in the face of Darwinian natural selection.
  • Agricultural Implications:
    • Potential to develop climate-resilient crop varieties without genetic modification.
    • Opens avenues for epigenetic breeding strategies to address climate-induced stress.
  • Evolutionary Biology: Offers a paradigm shift in understanding how organisms adapt over generations beyond traditional Darwinian evolution.

Lamarckian Evolution  Darwinian Evolution
  • This theory suggests that organisms evolve by acquiring traits during their lifetime, which are then passed on to their offspring. 
  • For example, giraffes stretched their necks to reach higher leaves, and over generations, longer necks were inherited.
  • This theory posits that evolution occurs through natural selection acting on random genetic variations.
  • Traits that provide a survival or reproductive advantage are more likely to be passed on.
  • Giraffes with naturally longer necks survived better and reproduced more.

About the Epigenetics Process

  • Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene expression that do not involve alterations to the DNA sequence itself. 
  • These changes are caused by chemical modifications—such as DNA methylation or histone modification—that regulate how genes are turned on or off in response to environmental or developmental signals.

Epigenetics

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