Conservation and Sustainable Use of Oryza coarctata for Developing “Sea Water Tolerant Rice”

Oryza coarctata is a wild rice species native to saline and coastal environments, making it an important genetic resource for developing salt-tolerant rice varieties. Its unique ability to thrive well on high-saline soil and waterlogged condition that offers valuable traits for breeding programs aimed at addressing the challenges of salinization in agricultural lands. With the rising sea levels as well as increasing salinity of arable land, O. coarctata provides essential genetic material to improve the resilience and productivity of cultivated rice towards salinity stress, thus ensuring food security for a growing global population. Additionally, it serves as a model organism for studying plant adaptations towards extreme environments, contributing to advances in stress physiology and sustainable farming practices. In this review, we have summarised the recent research and significant discoveries concerning O. coarctata and also proposed future perspectives for its sustainable utilization in developing new rice cultivars.