Identifying the gene gives scientists a handle to reduce chalkiness across rice varieties
Rice is the staple food for over half of the world’s population. Before a rice grain can be made edible, the outermost layer of husk covering it has to be removed. Often the next layer, called the bran, is also removed to whiten the rice.
Traditionally, these layers have been removed by pounding the paddy rice with pestles in a mortar, then winnowing the grains from the chaff. Today, mechanical rollers abrade the layers in a process called milling, and some of the rice grains break as a result. The breakage increases if the grains have a trait called chalkiness. Since chalkiness reduces the recovery of commercially acceptable grain, it downgrades quality.
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