LOCAL scientists have finished fully mapping the genetics of hybrid rice to find the genes responsible for better yielding hybrid rice. The research will help with the development of hybrid rice — the cross breeding of different types of rice. The gene mapping discovery was published by Nature Online, said scientists from the Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Hybrid rice usually has more vigorous properties than natural rice, but the genetic basis for this phenomenon has been unclear. Local scientists studied 1,495 hybrid rice samples. “By understanding their genetic theories, we can breed rice with high yielding, better quality and disease resistance,” said Han Bin, director of SIPPE and the project leader.