Untitled Document Rice About 20 species, found mostly in the humid tropics of Asia, Australia, Africa, and the Americas, are included in the genus Oryza . Oryza sativa was domesticated in Asia and accounts for the greater part of rice production today.
Rice feeds more people than any other.
Rice is not a true aquatic plant and is unusual among the cereals in that its roots can thrive underwater. Thus it is an ideal plant for much of the humid tropics. There also are upland varieties that grow in less water. By this time, rice already had been carried to Greece by Arab traders and was known there. In southeastern Asia, rice is grown much as it has been for centuries, requiring tremendous human effort.