4 Discussion
The Asian rice gene pool broadly comprises cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.), its wild progenitors (O. rufipogon and O. nivara ), and weedy rice (Oryza spp.) with close genetic affinity. In the present study, while the six types of Sri LankanOryza were grouped together, we observed two major clusters: wild and weedy with cultivated rice. Oryza rufipogon showed unique differentiation from O. nivara and other Oryza types due to its species-specific attributes and relatively high genetic distance (Fig. 2 and 4) (Sandamal et al ., 2021; 2022). We find that weedy rice from Sri Lanka had a close genetic relationship to cultivated types and O. nivara . Given that both wild rice species are commonly found near paddy fields, recurrent interactions between these DWWC groups in Sri Lanka are possible, suggesting an evolutionarily dynamic rice system with the potential for gene flow and introgression. Below we discuss these findings within the context of evolutionary mechanisms among the DWWC rice groups, particularly exploring how these groups have been influenced by multiple pathways of gene flow.