Hope from hybrid rice

A NEW STRAIN OF RICE DEVELOPED BY CHINA'S leading agricultural scientist, Yuan Longping, has set another milestone in China's research into hybrid rice and constitutes a big step toward addressing the world's food shortages.

The strain, DH2525 (Y Two superior No 2), yielded a harvest of 926 kilograms per mu, or 13.9 tons a hectare, in a trial in Longhui county, Central China's Hunan province. This set a new world record.

Known as "The Father of Hybrid Rice," Yuan is famous for his achievement in developing the genetic materials and technologies essential for growing high-yield hybrid varieties. He developed the first hybrid rice in 1974, and it immediately increased grain output by 20 percent.