Cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.) is derived from
Asian wild rice (Oryza rufipogon Griff). Vietnamese local
varieties and wild natural populations in Vietnam and
Myanmar were examined to evaluate the levels of genetic
variation in cultivated and wild rice. In total, 222 Vietnamese
local varieties were analyzed with ten microsatellite markers.
Using marker genotype and gene diversity data, the local
varieties were differentiated based on geographical distribution,
cropping season, and human preference. A total of 976
wild plants were collected at six natural sites of wild
populations (three each in Myanmar and Vietnam), and the
degrees of variation among populations were analyzed with
five microsatellite markers. Phylogenetic analyses revealed
wide genetic differentiation among wild populations. The
diversity values detected in a single wild population in
Vietnam were higher than those in whole Vietnamese local
varieties. These results indicate that wild rice has much
greater genetic variation than cultivated rice