China to Increase Food Supply Through Rice Variety Cultivation
On Sunday in Caoba Town, Mengzi City, located southwest of China’s Yunnan Province, the second generation of super hybrid rice variety Chaoyouqianhao, achieved a yield of 1,107.5 kg per mu or 16.6 tonnes per hectare.
The rice variety attained an average yield of above 1,000 kg per mu for the fourth year in a row, which is more than the average rice production of only 300 to 600 kg per mu.
Late agronomist Yuan Longping, China’s hybrid rice pioneer, and his colleagues created the rice variety.
The plants of this rice variety reach a height of 2.2 meters, which is double that of ordinary rice plants. Resistance to heat, floods, salt-alkali soil, and disease are all features of this cultivar.
The variety is also resistant to lodging, which occurs when crops are flattened to the ground, thus making them difficult to harvest and lowering the harvest yield.
This is the sixth year that Mengzi City has conducted high-production research of rice varieties with an affiliate of the China National Hybrid Rice Research and Development Center (CNHRRDC).
Giant Rice Variety
15 mu of Yuan’s giant rice variety were planted in a trial planting in Changhong Village in Shiwan Town, Dazu District, southern Chongqing Municipality, at the end of August. The rice grew well, indicating that the experiment was a success and that it may be produced commercially in the future.
It was the first time the cultivar was widely planted in Chongqing, and it has adapted well to the city’s hot climate. Rice will be harvested in late September, with an expected yield of at least 800 kg per mu.
Luo Zhiqiang, an agronomic in charge of novel variety planting at the CNHRRDC’s Chongqing branch, stated that while they prepare for widespread planting and production, the gigantic rice will be evaluated in different elevations and weather circumstances.
The paddy field of this rice plant can also be utilized as a pond to produce fish, shrimp, and crabs at the same time since it can live in an environment with more water.
Accordingly, Yuan’s ambitions are becoming a reality thanks to the giant rice variety. He said he wanted to “enjoy the cool under the rice crops taller than men”.
He added that this hybrid rice could be cultivated all over the world to potentially solve global food scarcity.
