2002 Volume 46 Issue 1 Pages 14-22
Sri Lanka is considered to be a secondary center of eco-genetic diversity for many crop species. It exhibits a rich floristic diversity distributed over a variety of bio-climatic environments. Sri Lanka's natural forests and protected wetlands harbor all the wild relatives of rice found in the country.
Systematic exploration and collection missions specific to wild relatives of rice were initiated by the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI) in 1988 in collaboration with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) . One result was the discovery of O. rhizomatis, a new species endemic to Sri Lanka.
Survey, exploration and collection of wild rice germplasm in the target areas were conducted during the period of December 1998 to May 1999 by the Plant Genetic Resources Center (PGRC) . The distribution of the 5 wild species of rice occurring in Sri Lanka is depicted in the maps. Their habitats are also described in this paper.
