Monsanto recently produced a draft of a rice (Oryza sativa) genome in support of its ongoing internal research programs in genomics and crop improvement. The sequence data were produced primarily in the laboratories of Dr. Leroy Hood (University of Washington, Seattle) under contract for Monsanto. In addition to being one of the most important world food crops, rice serves as a useful research model. The syntenic relation between the rice genome and those of other cereal grasses has been widely recognized and the availability of detailed information about the rice genome will likely advance global efforts to improve other major food crops in the grass family, including corn (maize), wheat, barley, sorghum, millet, and others. The increased research in rice may be expected to have many direct and indirect benefits for this critical crop and its relatives, and ultimately may contribute to an improvement in food production in many world areas. The International Rice Research Institute (Los Banos, The Philippines) estimates that 1 billion new rice consumers will be added in Asia by 2020. By that date, 4 billion peoplemore than onehalf the world's populationwill depend on rice as a staple of their diet. The Monsanto draft rice genome sequence was produced from rice cv Nipponbare, a japonica variety that has been used widely in genetic studies in ricethe same cultivar used by the International Rice Genome Sequencing Project (IRGSP; http://rgp.dna.affrc.go.jp/Seqcollab.html). Formally launched in February 1998 to complete and publish the entire genome sequence of rice, IRGSP members have agreed to use a single germplasm, to share materials and information, to immediately make public completed portions of the genome, to achieve certain accuracy standards, and to coordinate their work. In early 2000, Monsanto decided to share the draft sequence data with the IRGSP to benefit this 11member consortium in reaching its primary objective soonerthe production of a complete and finished sequence of the genome of rice cv Nipponbare. Monsanto's sequence data and supporting materials have been made available to the IRGSP through the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, the lead agency in the IRGSP, which distributes the company's data to members according to their assigned chromosome. The work of the IRGSP is expected to continue, incorporating data from Monsanto's draft sequence, until the entire rice genome sequence has been completed. As each segment (in units of P1 artificial chromosomes or bacterial artificial chromosomes [BACs]) of the sequence is completed, it will be placed in public databases, in accordance with existing IRGSP policy. The availability of the draft sequence and the related materials is expected to reduce both time and cost for the IRGSP.