This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. By 2050, human population is expected to reach 9.7 billion. The demand for increased food production needs to be met from ever reducing resources of land, water and other environmental constraints. Rice remains the staple food source for a majority of the global populations, but especially in Asia where ninety percent of rice is grown and consumed. Climate change continues to impose abiotic and biotic stresses that curtail rice quality and yields. Researchers have been challenged to provide innovative solutions to maintain, or even increase, rice production. Amongst them, the ‘green super rice’ breeding strategy has been successful for leading the development and release of multiple abiotic and biotic stress tolerant rice varieties. Recent advances in plant molecular biology and biotechnologies have led to the identification of stress responsive genes and signaling pathways, which open up new paradigms to augment rice productivity. Accordingly, transcription factors, protein kinases and enzymes for generating protective metabolites and proteins all contribute to an intricate network of events that guard and maintain cellular integrity. In addition, various quantitative trait loci associated with elevated stress tolerance have been cloned, resulting in the detection of novel genes for biotic and abiotic stress resistance. Mechanistic understanding of the genetic basis of traits, such as N and P use, is allowing rice researchers to engineer nutrient-efficient rice varieties, which would result in higher yields with lower inputs. Likewise, the research in micronutrients biosynthesis opens doors to genetic engineering of metabolic pathways to enhance micronutrients production. With third generation sequencing techniques on the horizon, exciting progress can be expected to vastly improve molecular markers for gene-trait associations forecast with increasing accuracy. This book emphasizes on the areas of rice science that attempt to overcome the foremost limitations in rice production. Our intention is to highlight research advances in the fields of physiology, molecular breeding and genetics, with a special focus on increasing productivity, improving biotic and abiotic stress tolerance and nutritional quality of rice.

In the four decades since the discovery of DNA, molecular genetics and biotechnology have undergone a revolution in the research and application of genetic testing techniques. As a result, these fields have witnessed an explosion of both information and controversy, and the focus of public awareness of the significance of molecular biotechnology in everyday life has leaped from journal abstracts to front-page news. Molecular biotechnology provides important tools for the identification of specific nucleic acid sequences, some of them linked to important traits such as those conferring resistance to disease. Such DNA markers are used commonly in genetic research and in other applications, such as DNA fingerprinting. Researchers can use DNA markers to follow individual traits in different environments and hosts, increasing our understanding of the constitution, diversity, and evolution of genetic material. DNA Markers: Protocols, Applications, and Overviews offers valuable new information on this rapidly growing field. This compendium of research highlights the most recently discovered DNA markers and their application to the analyses of genomes of low and high complexity, with a focus on recently developed DNA marker systems as tools for DNA fingerprinting, genome analysis, molecular systematics, taxonomy, and phylogenetic analysis. The Protocols section of the book contains detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to perform selected DNA marker experiments, providing a useful laboratory tool. Subjects covered by top specialists include: Designed as a bench-top reference for the laboratory as well as a complete guide to the latest research, DNA Markers: Protocols, Applications, and Overviews is a vital resource for both novices and experienced practitioners involved in research in molecular genetics or biotechnology. A global overview of DNA markers * Molecular hybridization * RAPD, AP-PCR, DAF and AFLP analysis * Microbial Genomic fingerprinting * Simple sequence repeat DNA markers * Genetic BIT analysis * Differential display of RNA * The status of DNA fingerprinting: population databases * Arbitrarily amplified DNA in ecology and evolution

This edited book is a compilation of tangible research findings and actual experiences on various salt tolerant rice breeding programmes, that have been successfully practiced and continuing to do so by research centres in South East Asia, with major emphasis in India, Bangladesh and Philippines. Rice being one of the most important staple crops of the world, its production and productivity have to be kept on increasing so as to feed the burgeoning population. This is a very challenging task in the midst of shrinking resource base and arable lands in the face of climate change. Salt stress is the second major abiotic stress, next only to drought, which greatly affects rice production. To overcome this problem, development of improved salt tolerant rice cultivars coupled with appropriate package of practices, an ecologically sound and socially acceptable strategy should be developed which is well within the reach of marginal farmers. With rapid advances in molecular biology, mechanisms underlying the complexity of the trait are better understood now than before. Selection of appropriate parents, desired mapping populations, precise phenotyping are the key components to underpin the mapping and utilization of reliable QTLs. Understanding genetics of salt tolerance, identifying the robust molecular markers and targeted utilization of available molecular markers form the sound basis to develop the commercial products with more precision and speed. This book covers entire range of topics: starting from biophysical characterization of salt stressed areas in different rice ecologies, conventional and molecular breeding approaches for mapping salt tolerance and subsequent development of improved rice varieties for commercial cultivation and their societal impacts. This book is of interest to scientists, faculty, policy makers and administrators. It also serves as a resource guide to graduate students of agriculture particularly plant breeding, plant physiology, molecular biology and soil science.