Rice seed research at EMBRAPA's Rice and Beans Nacional Research Center aims to: a. determine the quality of rice seed in use in Brazil; b. improve seed quality by developing better drying and storage techniques, harvesting at proper time, and purifying varieties to produce genetic seed of reccommended cultivars in use. c. register, preserve, renewing and multiplying rice germplasm. Programmed and underway seed research projects at the Rice and Bean National Research Center and 11 other units/institutions of the Cooperative System of Agricultural Research coordinated by EMBRAPA, are listed.