An isolated rice non-endosperm tissue expression promoter, OsTSP I, and the use thereof. The promoter comprises the defined sequence of 1785 by (SEQ ID NO: 1), given in the specification, or its fragment or variant, or a nucleotide sequence If which hybridizes to SEQ ID NO: 1, or its fragment or variant, under stringent conditions. The activity of OsTSP I is comfirmed by transgenic methods. As determined histochemically, OsTSP I reglulates GUS expression in a tissue-specific manner and is not active in endosperm tissues. The OsTSP I can be used as a powerful tool for the investigation and control of gene expression in rice and other crops. It is particularly advantageous for development of safe transgenic foods such as rice.