This book owes its existence to Dr Marc Châtel, Rice Breeder, CIRAD-CA, and Researcher at CIRAD/CIAT Rice Project. His continuous effort and dedication to the application of population improvement through recurrent selection to the Latin American rice crop formed the foundation on which most of the results presented in this book were developed.
Translated from the 2003 Spanish edition: Mejoramiento Poblacional, una Alternativa para Explorar los Recursos Genéticos del Arroz en América Latina edited by Elcio Perpétuo Guimarães while he was rice breeder at Embrapa Arroz e Feijoo (ISBN: 958-694-061-9). Translation into English and style editing (excepting Chapter 4) carried out by Elizabeth L. McAdam, Melbourne, Australia. Production carried out by Howard Rawson, Canberra, Australia. Rogelio Chovet, Fundación Polar, Caracas, Venezuela, produced the cover design.
