Rice Genomics and Genetics 2024, Vol.15, No.5, 287-308 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/rgg 305 rice lines that are tolerant to various abiotic stresses, including drought and salinity (Pradhan et al., 2019; Shailani et al., 2020; Panda et al., 2021). This approach ensures that rice plants can survive and thrive under multiple adverse environmental conditions, thereby securing food production in challenging climates. 8.4 Policy recommendations for supporting flood-tolerant rice research and deployment To effectively support the research and deployment of flood-tolerant rice varieties, it is crucial to implement supportive policies and funding mechanisms. Governments and international organizations should prioritize investments in research programs focused on developing flood-tolerant rice through advanced breeding techniques and genome editing tools. Additionally, policies should facilitate the dissemination and adoption of these improved varieties by farmers, particularly in regions that are highly susceptible to flooding. By creating an enabling environment for innovation and adoption, policymakers can help ensure food security and resilience in the face of climate change. Advancing genome editing tools, applying multi-omics approaches, and implementing gene pyramiding strategies are essential for improving flood tolerance in rice. Supportive policies and funding are also critical to facilitate research and the widespread adoption of flood-tolerant rice varieties. These future directions collectively aim to enhance the resilience of rice crops, ensuring sustainable production in flood-prone areas. 9 Concluding Remarks The meta-analysis of flood tolerance genes in rice has revealed significant insights into the genetic and physiological mechanisms underlying flood tolerance. Key findings include the identification of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and specific genes such as Sub1A, which confer submergence tolerance by promoting traits like adventitious root formation and rapid coleoptile elongation under flooded conditions. Additionally, the study highlighted the role of anaerobic germination (AG) tolerance, which is crucial for seedling establishment in flooded environments, with genes like Rc and various transcription factors playing pivotal roles. Flood tolerance genes are of paramount agronomic importance as they directly contribute to the resilience and productivity of rice in flood-prone regions. The ability to develop adventitious roots and elongate coleoptiles rapidly under submergence conditions enables rice plants to survive and maintain yield stability during and after flooding events. Moreover, the integration of these genes into breeding programs has led to the development of rice varieties that can withstand both drought and submergence, thereby ensuring food security in the face of climate change. To further advance the development of flood-tolerant rice varieties, there is a need for integrated research efforts that combine genomics, phenomics, and advanced breeding techniques. Collaborative studies focusing on the identification and functional characterization of novel flood tolerance genes, as well as the development of high-throughput phenotyping methods, are essential. Additionally, leveraging biotechnological tools such as genome editing and transcriptome analysis can accelerate the breeding of rice varieties with enhanced flood tolerance and other desirable agronomic traits. Acknowledgments We are grateful to Dr. Chen for critically reading the manuscript and providing valuable feedback that improved the clarity of the text. We express our heartfelt gratitude to the two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments on the manuscript. Conflict of Interest Disclosure The authors affirm that this research was conducted without any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. References Alpuerto J., Fukuda M., Li S., Hussain R., Sakane K., and Fukao T., 2022, The submergence tolerance regulator SUB1A differentially coordinates molecular adaptation to submergence in mature and growing leaves of rice (Oryza sativa L.), The Plant Journal : for Cell and Molecular Biology, 110(1): 71-87. https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.15654
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