Rice (Oryza sativa L.) traditionally has been grown as a fullyflooded crop and has been the major source of calories formore than half of the world’s population and livelihood ofmany small and marginal farmers of Asia and increasingly inAfrica. With a significant jump in rice production during the1960s (Green Revolution), followed by stagnation during thelate 1990s, it is evident that increasing productivity is essen-tial to keep pace with the demographic demand. In addition,