Plant breeding is the genetic improvement of crop plants in relation to their economic use for mankind. Plant breeding is offered as a subject at the undergraduate and the postgraduate levels in all the Indian Agricultural Universities. It is also offered at graduate level in biology and postgraduate level in botany in conventional universities. Rice is one of the major crops covered under the subject Plant Breeding at all the universities. Rice breeding aims at evolving high yielding and quality rice varieties for feeding the evergrowing human population. This book covers the latest developments in rice breeding and genetics in addition to several fundamental topics of general interest. The language used in the book is simple and easily understandable. The presentation is pointwise and step by step with recent Indian examples, wherever applicable. The references are given at the end of each chapter. This book will acquaint the students and research workers with the latest developments in rice breeding and genetics precisely covering the syllabus. This book bridges the gap of not having a textbook with the latest information on rice breeding and genetics. Candidates appearing for the competitive examinations such as ARS, NET and SRF examination of ICAR may use this book as a reference.
