"Rice (Oryza sativa) is the main staple food in Myanmar. The area planted with rice in 2000-01 was 6.5 million hectares of total arable land area (9.55 million hectares) with the average yield of 3.2 metric tons per hectare. The area sown to monsoon rice and summer rice constituted 4.85 and 1.08 million hectares, respectively. Most of the rice growing areas are located in delta region (Ayeyawady division, Bago division, Yangon division, Mon state) and coastal region (Rakhine state, Taninthari division). The climatic condition of these areas is tropical wet due to monsoon from the Bay of Bengal. The major extension of rice cultivation took place mostly on that areas because their hydromorphic nature was exclusively suited for rice. The dependable monsoonal rains of that area, its warm and humid environmental offered an ideal environment for rice production. Most rice is grown where the soil is submerged during part or all of the growing cycle so that the major limiting factor in rice growing is water (IRRI, 1976). One of the main rice production constraints is intrusion of sea water, especially in delta area. Marine salinity is confined to coastal region because of tidal regime. Often the mean tide level as well as the spring tide levels fluctuate seasonally. In delta area there are twice daily inundations of tidal flats that are normally occupied by mangroves. In most coastal and delta regions in Myanmar, spring tides are highest in summer season leading to strong seasonal salinization. The rice growing areas in these regions are not completely protected against periodic salt water intrusion even in rainy season..."