The researchers studied different types of rice plants to see which ones are best for improving crops. They looked at how well the plants use sunlight and water to grow. They found that traditional rice plants from India are better at photosynthesis and have more efficient stomata (tiny openings on leaves) compared to modern high-yielding varieties. The traditional plants also have better stomatal traits like density and size. This means that these traditional rice plants could be useful for making crops better in the future.