Chapter 1 focuses on some of the steps needed to increase the rate of growth in rice production especially for meeting the demands of population growth. Chapter 2 discusses the various conventional approaches used for rice improvement. Chapter 3 examines the role of SSR markers in breeding and improvement of rice. Following the finding that Microbispora are the dominant genus of Actinobacteria in rice (Oryza sativa L.) plants grown in a Vertisol soil from Yanco, NSW, Australia, the authors of Chapter 4 decided to test the hypothesis whether this observation was t rice cultivar- or soil-dependent. Four rice cultivars grown in four agricultural soils were subjected to comparative assessment of their root and shoot endophytic actinobacterial population diversity, employing a classical culture-dependent approach as well as 16S rRNA gene PCR T-RFLP as the culture-independent method. Chapter 5 focuses on many issues pertaining to the development of temperate and cold-tolerant rice varieties suitable for cultivation under irrigated conditions in Kashmir valley and the hills around it. We discuss the issues, the progress, and the way forward for rice research in this very significant Himalayan region where rice is a staple food. The last chapter deals with the present distribution of the pest, adult description, host plants, life history, ecology, its association with various plant pathogens, damage and effect on yield, natural enemies and management practices.