<italic>De novo</italic> domestication and preliminary cultivar development of sand rice (<italic>Agriophyllum squarrosum</italic>), a sand dune pioneer species

Sand rice, a promising future crop for desert and marginal lands in northern China

“…Sand rice is generally recognized for the healthy, well‐balanced nutritional composition of its seeds, including higher protein (22.87%), lipid (8.79%), lysine (7.56% protein), and lower carbohydrate (53.87%) contents, in comparison with the nutritious superfood quinoa ( Chenopodium quinoa ; Zhao, Li, et al, 2023; Zhao, Ran, et al, 2023). There are no significant biomarkers for distinguishing the metabolomics of sand rice from quinoa seeds, and quantitatively different metabolites between two species are enriched in galactose metabolism and starch and sucrose metabolism pathways (Zhao, Li, et al, 2023; Zhao, Ma, et al, 2016).…”

“…For instance, the three lines (DL, NM, and AEX) from the semiarid region have earlier flowering dates (73–86 days after sowing), shorter growth periods (142–157 days after sowing), and larger seed diameter (2.22–2.34 mm), but with lower yields per plant (22.7–63.5 g) when compared with those lines developed from the arid region (Zhang, Zhao, Zhou, et al, 2018). The latest line GX‐1 has yield per plant of 209 g, with an estimated yield of 177 g m −2 (Figure 1h; Zhao, Ran, et al, 2023). Another line, GX‐2, has synchronous seedling emergence, compact architecture, fewer branches, longer spikes, and earlier maturity (Figure 1i), and its yield per plant can reach 90 g on loess land, suggesting that GX‐2 is more suitable for dense planting.…”

“…The nutritive and therapeutic benefits, such as high protein content, rich essential amino acid content (especially lysine), easy digestion, physical improvement, and heat clearing, have been widely documented in ancient and modern literature (Zhao, Li, et al, 2023). To reconcile the environmental sustainability and food diversity in northern China, our group first initiated the de novo domestication of sand rice in 2010 to develop a new climate‐resilient crop (Chen et al, 2014; Zhao, Li, et al, 2023; Zhao, Ran, et al, 2023). In the past decade, sand rice has been successfully cultivated on sandy and loess lands and some elite lines with a compact architecture and/or higher yield have been developed (Zhao, Ran, et al, 2023).…”

“…To reconcile the environmental sustainability and food diversity in northern China, our group first initiated the de novo domestication of sand rice in 2010 to develop a new climate‐resilient crop (Chen et al, 2014; Zhao, Li, et al, 2023; Zhao, Ran, et al, 2023). In the past decade, sand rice has been successfully cultivated on sandy and loess lands and some elite lines with a compact architecture and/or higher yield have been developed (Zhao, Ran, et al, 2023). Large‐scale artificial cultivation has been implemented in different deserts, including the Ulan Buh desert with 200 ha year −1 from 2019 to 2021, and the Tengger desert with approximately 33 ha in 2022, and the economic benefits have started to flow (Figure 1c–e; Zhao, Ran, et al, 2023).…”

“…In the past decade, sand rice has been successfully cultivated on sandy and loess lands and some elite lines with a compact architecture and/or higher yield have been developed (Zhao, Ran, et al, 2023). Large‐scale artificial cultivation has been implemented in different deserts, including the Ulan Buh desert with 200 ha year −1 from 2019 to 2021, and the Tengger desert with approximately 33 ha in 2022, and the economic benefits have started to flow (Figure 1c–e; Zhao, Ran, et al, 2023).…”