A. Report of the Coordinating Committee of Rice Genetics Cooperative

We are happy to report that as a result of cooperation between scientists from Japan, USA and IRRI, DNA probes used for preparing the rice RFLP maps in Japan and at Cornell University, USA, have been exchanged and the two RFLP maps have been combined. The RFLP map now consists of more than 600 markers. Rapid progress is being made in tagging the genes of economic importance with RFLP markers. At least 15 genes for disease and insect resistance have been tagged.

Rules for gene symbolization of some morphological traits such as earliness, blast resistance, leaf structure, dwarfing and leaf spotting are still not accepted by different groups. Please send your suggestions to Dr. T. Kinoshita to evolve acceptable gene symbols.

The Coordinating Committee of RGC will meet during the Fourth International Workshop on Rice Molecular Biology to be held at Yokohama, Japan on September 4-5, 1993. Venue and dates for the Third International Rice Genetics Symposium to be held in 1995 will be decided. We hope several members of the committee will be in attendance. Please send your suggestions regarding symposium to any of the committee members.

M.E. Takahashi, Chairman

K.L. Lampe, Co-Chairman