# Ancient people used wild plant genetics to domesticate rice and corn

> Ancient humans selected existing genetic traits in wild plants to create domesticated crops like rice and corn.
- Title: Ancient people used wild plant genetics to domesticate rice…
- Summary: Ancient humans selected existing genetic traits in wild plants to create domesticated crops like rice and corn. Ancient people used pre-existing genetic…
- Keywords: ancient people, genetic variation, rice, corn, domestication, selective breeding, wild plants, genomics, japonica rice, nonshattering seeds, cold tolerance, qsh3 gene
- Source: The Conversation — https://theconversation.com/ancient-people-relied-on-genetic-variation-already-present-in-wild-plants-to-domesticate-crops-like-rice-and-corn-273751
- Author: Ornob Alam
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: ancient people, genetic variation, rice, corn, domestication, selective breeding, wild plants, genomics, japonica rice, nonshattering seeds, cold tolerance, qsh3 gene
## Ancient rice cultivation began
Over 8,000 years ago, people in the Lower Yangtze Valley started cultivating wild rice grass Oryza rufipogon.
## Early selection of rice traits
Farmers selected plants that failed to release seeds, stood upright, and were easier to harvest.
## Domesticated rice emerged
The cultivated grass became distinct from wild ancestors as Oryza sativa subspecies japonica.
## Global crop domestication timeline
Around 11,700 years ago, people worldwide independently directed evolution of local crops through domestication.
## Genetic changes in domestication
Domestication involved both large-effect mutations and numerous genome-wide changes across the plant genome.
## Nonshattering seeds in rice
A mutation in the qSH3 gene for nonshattering seeds was likely present in wild rice and rose in frequency over 2,000 years.
## Cold tolerance in rice
Rice developed cold tolerance through ancient genetic variation, emerging 4,000 years ago in temperate regions.
## Corn mutation timeline
A corn kernel mutation occurred over 40,000 years ago, long before corn domestication 9,000 years ago.
## Adzuki bean domestication
Adzuki beans developed seed coat color and pod shattering traits thousands of years before domestication.
## Genetic variation's role
Preexisting genetic variation enabled ancient people to domesticate crops without new mutations.
## Key takeaway

Ancient people used pre-existing genetic variation in wild plants to domesticate crops such as rice and corn over thousands of years.