Feature: Italian rice research center focuses on developing better strains of rice

ROME, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- A rice field from a hundred years ago would be almost unrecognizable for anyone accustomed to the modern incarnation.

Rice stalks were as much as twice the height of the 80-centimeter (31.5-inch) stalks common today, and they included much more foliage. That means they used far more water, needed more space and produced a smaller rice kernel.