Decades of global warming result in rice yield levels that are declining due to increased temperature and CO2 concentration. So, can we change rice from C3 to C4?
Some transgenic rice is on progress but the subject of integrating it in some high productive cv is treated by a specific consortium led by prof . Susanne von Caemmerer of ANU. You may get info from a Sclence magazine issue on 29 june 2012 or by the IRRI C4 rice page that seems not working today. C4 evolves for the gain in combining fast growth bundle sheath anatomy and low photorespiration and 14 genes are about it. Paul Quick at IRRI drives the complex genetic tests.
We do not really know why and how to solve stupid questions like using other C4 crops or the confidence with transgenics, but a huge effort is on the road. Try to get more from IRRI when available
Although generating C4 rice is extremely ambitious, the polyphyletic evolution of C4 photosynthesis provides cause for optimism. The generation of C4 rice will require a mechanistic understanding of this apparently necessary interface between leaf morphology and metabolism in classical ‘Kranz’ C4 species. The research on changing rice from C3 to C4 is ongoing in IRRI. I am sending some link which may help you:
http://dps.plants.ox.ac.uk/langdalelab/publications/COPB08.pdf
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2011.03781.x/pdf
http://jxb.oxfordjournals.org/content/65/13?etoc
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