ABSTRACT
Rice is the staple food for more than half of the world’s population and it is grown in more than 100 countries. It is predicted that human population might reach up to 9.4 billion by 2050, and to meet this population’s need, it is estimated that the world needs 8-10 million tonnes of rice each year (Patra, 2013). As the productivity gains from favourable irrigated rice environments are almost saturated, there is a great potential to harness the productivity
gain from unfavourable rice-growing environments such as drought-prone, submergenceprone, salinity affected and upland ecosystems. In India, about 3 million hectare (mha) rice area is affected by waterlogging, mostly in the coastal lowland regions. The risk of frequent submergence due to flash floods and waterlogging makes the ecosystem less productive. In these areas, stagnant flooding of 25-50 cm water depth occurs for a substantial period of the crop-growing season (Sarangi et al., 2016). Waterlogging at the early stages of crop growth suppresses tillering and increases plant mortality. Poor drainage in waterlogged areas leads to accumulation of toxic substances (iron toxicity, sulphide injury, etc.) and increase in incidence of pests and diseases.
