Abstract: Yunnan, in Southwest China, has long been recognized as part of a center of diversity for Asia cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L. ). The authors surveyed DNA restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) in a sample of 87 accessions from Yunnan indigenous rice with 7 single copy probes. The results ihdicated that both indica and japonica rice are genetically highly diverse. The number of alleles and the level of genic diversity in japonica rice were higher than those in indica rice. The results also showed that indica and japonica rices were clearly differentiated and the extent of differentiation varies with chromosomal regions as represented by the RFLP markers. Authors' results appeared to be in favor of the diphyletic hypothesis concerning the origin of cultivated rice.

Key words: Oryza sativa, Restriction fragment length polymorphism, Genetic diversity, Origin and evolution, Germplasm