To appreciate the role of the international rice research effort in improving world rice yield. To learn how rice is used and its value to human nutrition. Overview Rice is produced in the tropical and subtropical portions of all continents. The world production of rice places it slightly behind wheat and ahead of corn in planted acreage. The U. S. is the largest exporter of rice, not because of our production, but because other countries consume nearly all they produce to feed their populations.
Rice is unique among the cereals in being able to grow in flooded conditions.
The rice plant is able to transport oxygen to the submerged roots from the leaves where oxygen is released during photosynthesis. Rice does best in temperate regions that have low summer rainfall with high light intensity. Unlike corn, sorghum, and millet, rice is a C-3 cereal. This means that increased light intensity has the potential to increase yield. Rice is seeded in beds and transplanted in much of the world.