Rice Science ›› 2025, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (6): 813-830.DOI: 10.1016/j.rsci.2025.08.003

• Reviews • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Designing Climate-Resilient Rice Production Systems: Leveraging Genomics for Low-Emission Rice Varieties

Kossi Lorimpo Adjah1, Vimal Kumar Semwal2, Nana Kofi Abaka Amoah1, Isaac Tawiah1, Negussie Zenna3, Raafat Elnamaky4, Koichi Futakuchi5, Elliott Ronald Dossou-Yovo5, Shailesh Yadav1()   

  1. 1Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), Genetic Diversity and Improvement (GDI) Program, M’be Research Station, Bouake 01 BP 2551, Ivory Coast
    2AfricaRice, GDI Program, Nigeria Country Office, Ibadan 200001, Nigeria
    3AfricaRice, GDI Program, Madagascar Country Office, Antananarivo c/o FOFIFA BP 1690, Madagascar
    4AfricaRice, GDI Program, Sahel Regional Station, Saint-Louis BP 96 Saint-Louis, Senegal
    5AfricaRice, Sustainable Productivity Enhancement Program, M’be Research Station, Bouake 01 BP 2551, Ivory Coast
  • Received:2025-03-29 Accepted:2025-08-28 Online:2025-11-28 Published:2025-12-04
  • Contact: Shailesh Yadav (sh.yadav@cgiar.org)

Abstract:

Rice cultivation contributes up to 12% of global anthropogenic methane (CH4) emissions, making it a significant climate concern. With rice demand projected to double by 2050, achieving the required 2.4% annual genetic gain must be balanced with emission reduction. This review synthesizes recent progress in three key areas: (1) mitigation strategies such as alternate wetting and drying and direct-seeded rice, which can reduce CH4 emissions by 30%-40%; (2) identification of physiological and molecular traits, such as short duration, high harvest index, improved nitrogen use efficiency, optimized root architecture, and stress tolerance with reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) footprints; and (3) the potential of genomics-assisted breeding and high-throughput phenotyping to accelerate the development of climate-resilient rice varieties with lower CH4 emissions. Specifically, we highlight how the synergistic integration of high-throughput phenotyping, genomic selection, and marker-assisted breeding can substantially improve the efficiency and precision of breeding programs targeting the development of climate-resilient rice varieties with reduced CH4 emissions. This is exemplified through successful case studies utilizing multi-omics approaches, including the development of Green Super Rice varieties (GSR 2 and GSR 8), which have demonstrated up to a 37% reduction in GHG emissions. Crucially, we propose a stratified trait profile for low-GHG rice development and provide guidelines and metrics for integrating these traits into mainstream breeding pipelines. We conclude by proposing a strategic framework integrating carbon-efficient breeding, climate-adapted agronomy, and policy support, which is essential for scaling low-GHG rice systems globally.

Key words: greenhouse gas emission, genomics, carbon footprint, climate-smart agriculture