African Journal of Food Science Vol. 3(13), pp. 434-446, December,  2009

ISSN 1996-0794 © 2009 Academic Journals  

Review

Constructing C4 rice - the challenge of new green revolution   Zhang Bianjiang1 and Jiao Demao2*   1Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, Nanjing 211171 China. 2Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences 84-401, Nanjing 210014, China.   *Corresponding author. E-mail: jiaodm_123@yahoo.com.cn.  Tel: +(0)86-25-84437478.   Accepted 21 December, 2009

Abstract

The new green revolution is looking for a breakthrough in the world. Constructing C₄ rice based on good plant type is a reliable and effective approach to enhance photosynthetic efficiency in leaf. The paper discusses the significance, techniques, physiological characteristics and future research directions of transgenic rice with C₄ gene and makes some suggestions on breeding new cultivars with super-high yield and photosynthetic efficiency in high light intensity and high temperature area of China, especially in Africa.

Key words: Rice, C₄ photosynthesis gene, photosynthesis, physiological breeding.