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We review a multidisciplinary approach to improve flooding tolerance in rice and, specifically, tolerance of complete submergence. Environmental characterizations in India and Thailand suggest that limited gas diffusion and, sometimes, low irradiance are the most important factors contributing to plant mortality. This supports the view that submergence tolerance of rice seedlings is related to maintenance of energy supply partly through fast rates of alcoholic fermentation which require high levels of carbohydrates. In germinating seeds, rates of coleoptile elongation during anoxia are highly correlated with rates of alcoholic fermentation and carbohydrate supply for energy production. In older seedlings, survival during submergence is highly correlated with carbohydrate supply.

Optimization of growth vs. maintenance processes affects survival because elongation growth competes for energy and …