Aromatic rice is one of the major types of rice. It is a medium- to long-grained

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

. It is known for its nutty aroma and

taste The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste. Taste is the perception stimulated when a substance in the mouth biochemistry, reacts chemically with taste receptor cells l ...

, which is caused by the chemical compound 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline. Varieties of aromatic rice include Ambemohar, Basmati,

Jasmine Jasmine (botanical name: ''Jasminum'', pronounced ) is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family of Oleaceae. It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania. Jasmines are wid ...

, Radhunipagal, Sona Masuri, Texmati, Tulaipanji, Tulshimala, Wehani, Kalijira, Chinigura, Gobindobhog, Kali Mooch and wild Pecan rice. When cooked, the grains have a light and fluffy texture except for Gobindobhog rice which is sticky in texture. Aromatic rice produces more 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline than usual due to a loss-of-function mutation in the BADH2 gene. The BADH2 mutation can be transferred by conventional breeding; it is a recessive trait. Gene editing can be used to induce a similar mutation in ordinary rice, turning them aromatic without affecting other traits. The ''aromatic''

cultivar group A Group (previously cultivar-groupInternational Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants, 4th edition (1969), 5th edition (1980) and 6th edition (1995)) is a formal category in the '' International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants'' (' ...

originated in the Indian subcontinent about 2400–4000 years ago, from an admixture of the newly-introduced ''japonica'' rice (carrying the BADH2 mutation) and the local ''aus'' rice. Not all members of the cultivar group are fragrant. The ''aromatic'' group is considered part of the '' japonica'' subspecies.

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