[00:07.05]The American company Monsanto has announced what it calls a major development in efforts to identify all of the genes found in rice.

[00:18.49]It says scientists working in the United States have produced the first plans for a genetic map of the rice plant.

[00:28.24]Monsanto says it will share its information freely with other researchers around the world.

[00:35.89]The company says it hopes the findings will lead to increased production of the food crop.

[00:43.18]Monsanto Company researchers made the announcement in Beijing, China.

[00:48.80]China is the largest producer of rice in the world.

[00:53.26]Rice is the world's most popular food grain.

[00:58.04]Last year, almost 600,000,000 tons of rice were grown around the world.

[01:04.81]However, Monsanto notes that current rice production levels will not meet the needs of a growing world population twenty-five years from now.

[01:16.54]The work on the rice plant gene map was done mainly in the laboratories of Leroy Hood at the University of Washington in Seattle.

[01:27.98]Mister Hood and his team used a method known as gene sequencing to make a map of the genetic material.

[01:37.57]The map is said to be about 85% complete.

[01:43.00]Monsanto provided financial support for the work.

[01:47.62]The company says it will provide all of the information to the International Rice Genome Sequencing Project.

[01:56.45]This project includes ten research teams around the world working to produce the complete genetic map of rice.

[02:06.41]The company's announcement means a complete map of the genetic material of rice could be finished within three years.

[02:16.54]Mister Hood says his results show the work of genes in creating rice plants.

[02:23.52]He says scientists will have more than enough information to create a rice plant after they examine his work.

[02:33.57]Mister Hood says scientists could use the information to produce more rice and more nutritious rice.

[02:43.42]And they could use the information to protect rice crops against insects and a lack of water.

[02:51.57]This could help feed more people.

[02:54.73]He also says the findings might lead to similar genetic mapping of other major crops, such as corn and wheat.

[03:04.37]Chinese scientists praised Monsanto for sharing the information.

[03:10.33]They said it will help them carry out their own research.