Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the staple food of
Bangladesh. Among the three rice seasons, boro
rice covers about 56.66% of total rice area and it
contributes to 43.24% of the total rice production
in the country (BBS, 2008). Rice is intensively
cultivated in Bangladesh covering about 80% of
arable land. Unfortunately, the yield of rice is
low in Bangladesh than in the other rice growing
countries like South Korea and Japan where the
average yield is 7.00 and 6.22 t/ha, respectively
(FAO, 1999). On the other hand, the demand for
increasing rice production is mounting up to feedthe ever-increasing population