Rice Genomics and Genetics 2025, Vol.16, No.1, 50-60 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/rgg 55 time (Figure 2) (Kim et al., 2018). By the way, some people have specifically picked out the "magic" alleles of bZIP73 and COLD1 to deal with occasional cold air masses. This trick makes tropical japonica rice more frost-resistant and more productive (Sales et al., 2017; Liu et al., 2018). Figure 2 Phenotypes of the temperate japonica varieties in the tropical region (Adopted from Kim et al., 2018) Image caption: Ten Korean temperate japonica varieties were tested in the dry season in Los Baños (14.2°N), Philippines and in Suwon (37.2°N), Korea. (A) Comparison of days to heading (DTH). (B) Irregular flowering among tillers (Dongjin variety). (C) Photo of the maturation stage. (D) Comparison of culm length. (E) Comparison of grain yield. Yield data in Korea were obtained from the rice variety information released by the RDA. (F) Seasonal day-length (h) of the RDA Suwon station and the IRRI headquarter in Los Baños. The dates of seeding are depicted in the graph. DS, dry season; WS, wet season (Adopted from Kim et al., 2018) 5.3 Implications for breeding programs and future research When it comes to rice breeding, the tropical japonica rice variety is particularly interesting. Its special abilities to cope with high temperatures and strong light (molecular and physiological adaptability) are extremely useful for current breeding programs (Mao et al., 2019). However, to really make good use of these characteristics, we must first understand the genetic mechanisms behind them. Breeding experts are now doing two main things: on the one hand, they need to find favorable genetic variants (alleles) and find ways to get them into new varieties; on the other hand, they have to consider the background of climate change so that new varieties can adapt to more complex environments. Of course, traditional breeding alone may not be fast enough, so future research should focus on the following points: first, we need to find more genes and pathways involved in temperature and light adaptation, and second, we need to try new technologies such as gene editing, which may be able to breed more resistant varieties faster. 6 Adaptation Strategies for Enhanced Resilience 6.1 Breeding rice varieties for improved thermal and light tolerance Climate change has brought considerable challenges to rice cultivation, especially high temperatures and abnormal light. Interestingly, however, researchers have found that some rice varieties are naturally very resistant - such as those that bloom in the morning, have large anthers and high pollen vitality (Khan et al., 2019). These characteristics are not just for show, they can really help rice cope with hot weather better. Now breeders are
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