About the book
Rice is the staple food for about half of the world population. Since the 1960s, rice yields have doubled in most parts of the world and even tripled in certain countries due to considerable progress in the development of high-yielding rice varieties and the improvement of crop management practices. In the next decade, rice yield must increase by more than 1% annually to meet the growing demand for food that will result from population growth and economic development. This is not an easy task because several new challenges have been brought by changes in socioeconomic and physical environments related to rice production. In particular, the rapid urban expansion has resulted in a labor shortage and an increase in wages for agricultural production; over-use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides have caused substantially soil degradation; and the global climatic change has led to increase in the appearance of abiotic stress events such as heat, chilling, drought, and flooding.
This book aims to collect recent information about advances on meeting these challenges in the aspects of crop improvement, establishment, and management.
