IntroductionBRRI is a major component of the National Agricultural Research System (NARS) of Bangladesh, dealing with research and development in relation to rice production, the staple food for our people. The institute, formerly known as the East Pakistan Rice Research Institute (EPRRI), was established on October 1, 1970 at Joydebpur, a small township 36 km north of the capital city Dhaka. After the independence in 1971, the institute was renamed as the 'Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI)' through the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute Act, 1973 (Act X of 1973). Presently, in accordance with the provisions of the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (Amendment) Act, 1996 (Act V of 1996), a Board of Management holds full responsibility to determine the policies and undertakings of the institute within the framework of policy directives issued by the Government of Bangladesh. The Director General, who is, ex officio, the Chairman of the Board of Management, is the executive head of the institute. The institute operates with 19 research divisions, 3 support service divisions and 8 sections, with a total manpower of 673, of them, 249 are scientists. About one third of the scientists are highly trained professionals with MS and PhD degrees. The rice-growing environments in Bangladesh are very diverse, varying from the drought-prone high lands in the north-west through the flood-affected central region to the coastal saline zone in the south. This diversity is indicated by the thirty major agroecological zones (AEZ) into which the country has been divided on the basis of land, soil, hydrology and climate. This diversity in the rice-growing environments makes the task of BRRI scientists all the more challenging.