Double-tassel rice found in Jiangxi

(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-11-04 17:32

Two double-tassel rice stalks have been found in Dongxiang county, Jiangxi province, China News Service reported. Agricultural technicians said they are of high value and should be promoted.

Wan Xincai, a local agricultural technician, found the rare stalks in September. The first one shares the same characteristics with other rice stalks, but it ripened half a month earlier and harvested 20 percent more than normal rice.

The other rice stalk is shorter, having only 77 granules, Wan said. He has divided the paddy into four parcels that will be planted in experimental land next year.

Huang Yingjin, a professor at Jiangxi Agriculture University, said the stalks were probably caused by either abnormal distribution of axillary buds or generic mutation. If more double-tassel rice is produced next year in the experiment, it will be significant to promote them, Huang added.