Assistant Yuan Longping Recalls Research on Hybrid Rice: Discovering that "Wild Failure" is the Result of Perseverance

Changsha, China News Agency, October 11 (Xinhua) Question: Assistant Yuan Longping Recalls Hybrid Rice Research: Discovering that "Wild Failure" is the Result of PersistenceReporter Tang Xiaoqing and Xu ZhixiongThe discovery of 'wild defeat' is not the various versions that I have found while taking a shower, walking, fishing, or urinating in the public. In fact, 'wild defeat' was discovered through years of persistent research by Professor Yuan and his team, as well as through hard searching in various parts of China

Changsha, China News Agency, October 11 (Xinhua) Question: Assistant Yuan Longping Recalls Hybrid Rice Research: Discovering that "Wild Failure" is the Result of Persistence

Reporter Tang Xiaoqing and Xu Zhixiong

The discovery of 'wild defeat' is not the various versions that I have found while taking a shower, walking, fishing, or urinating in the public. In fact, 'wild defeat' was discovered through years of persistent research by Professor Yuan and his team, as well as through hard searching in various parts of China. On October 11th, the 50th anniversary symposium on the successful research of indica hybrid rice and the academic seminar on hybrid rice were held in Changsha, Li Bihu, the assistant of Yuan Longping, the father of hybrid rice, who came to the conference, revisited the past of hybrid rice research in an interview with reporters.

Li Bihu revisited the past of hybrid rice research in an interview with reporters. Photographed by Xu Zhixiong, a journalist from China News Network

In July 1960, Yuan Longping discovered a natural hybrid rice plant that stood out in the experimental field, rewriting the theory that self pollinating crops do not have heterosis and making him aware of the existence of wild male sterile plants.

Subsequently, through literature research and field exploration, Yuan Longping envisioned adopting the "three line method" technical route to cultivate sterile lines, maintainer lines, and restorer lines. Finding sterile plants is the first and crucial step in achieving the "three line method" technical route.

In November 1970, Feng Keshan, a technician at Hainan Nanhong Farm, brought Li Bihu to the swampy area of the farm to search for wild rice. They discovered a wild rice plant with three spikelets, thin and pale yellow anthers.

The textbook says how many species of wild rice are there in our country, and also discusses their origin and distribution. I thought Hainan Island is a typical southern China region, and there should be survival and distribution of wild rice. So I inquired about the news of wild rice, but the result was still very disappointed. Many people do not know what wild rice is, only know that wild rice is called fake rice in the local area. But we do not know what fake rice is, and after a long time of confusion, we couldn't match the numbers on both sides, so we found it Feng Keshan Li Bihu said.

Feng Keshan, who graduated from Hainan Agricultural School, is quite familiar with rice. Upon hearing the intention of Li Bihu and his delegation, she immediately stated that all over Hainan Island are wild rice. However, because they only harvest rice once a year in the winter and spring seasons, they came "not at the right time".

I said to Lao Feng (Feng Keshan), would you also help us find wild rice as a guide? Lao Feng is also very willing to accept it. He said it's okay, and I'll take you there when I have time. As a result, on November 23, 1970, we found a piece of wild rice next to a traffic artery, "Li Bihu said.

At that time, Li Bihu carefully observed in this wild rice for half an hour and found three rice panicles with male flowers that were different in color from normal rice flowers. He realized that these three rice panicles were likely male sterile wild rice. So, Li Bihu took off his coat and pants, drove away the water snakes and leeches, and descended into the waist deep muddy water. Step by step, he walked to three rice ears and followed them forward to observe and confirm. After discovering that these three rice ears grew on a single plant of rice, he carefully pulled them out with mud and roots and moved them to the experimental field.

It is about one kilometer from the experimental site to the site where wild rice was discovered, and Li Bihu rested four times midway. That piece of rice and grass is very heavy, weighing over 20 kilograms. The next day, I observed its flowering, and the third day, I started hybridization (breeding), "said Li Bihu.

At that time, Yuan Longping was in a meeting in Beijing and learned of the discovery of natural male sterile wild rice. He took a train south overnight and rushed back to Sanya. After a microscopic examination, the result was completely sterile, which made him ecstatic. He immediately named this magical wild rice "Wild Defeat". The research on the "three line" hybrid rice has thus opened a breakthrough, and China's hybrid rice industry has also opened a new chapter.

At that time, Li Bihu and Yin Huaqi both attended Anjiang Agricultural School in Hunan. In order to see carefully, they and Yuan Longping hold a 15x magnifying glass and examine every flower of every rice plant in the experimental field every day during the strongest sunlight at noon. Although the process of searching for rice is like "looking for a needle in a haystack", it never gives up.

After inspecting over 100000 rice ears for two years, we finally discovered 6 male sterile plants and used thousands of varieties to backcross with 'wild failure' for tens of thousands of times. "Yin Huaqi, a student and assistant of Yuan Longping who came to the conference, said that the achievement of the three line matching of indica hybrid rice is a pioneering achievement in China's hybrid rice technology innovation, and it is also a difficult and innovative process.

On October 11, 1973, Yuan Longping announced at the annual meeting of the National Hybrid Rice Research Cooperation Group that the research on indica three-line hybrid rice was successful. Yin Huaqi said that this type of indica hybrid rice has thick stems, large panicles and many grains, excellent rice quality, and wide adaptability.

Shortly after, the "Nanyou 2" bred by Yuan Longping was put into production and successfully planted as a mid season rice on 100 acres in Guidong County, Hunan. A double season late rice trial on 25 acres in Anjiang Agricultural School, Hunan, yielded a yield of 1256 kilograms per mu. Afterwards, successful trials were conducted in South China, North China, and Central China, achieving a historic breakthrough in rice breeding.

In the past 50 years, we have gone through difficult roads, encountered earthquakes, floods, and even had our meals cut off. Once, we passed by Guangxi and encountered a flash flood. Teacher Yuan and I only had a pancake day and night at the ferry. We encountered an earthquake in Yunnan and slept in Caoping for three months. In those days of hardship, we still worked hard. "Yin Huaqi's voice choked up.

The development history of hybrid rice is a history of collaborative innovation in agricultural science and technology in China, constantly climbing scientific peaks. After three theoretical breakthroughs and five rounds of high yield leaps, hybrid rice has been promoted and applied in over 70 countries for nearly 10 billion acres, increasing grain production by nearly 1 trillion kilograms. More than 70 countries around the world have conducted research and trial planting demonstrations on hybrid rice.

In 2022, the large-scale demonstration of "Super Hybrid Rice Zhuo Liangyou 1126" was carried out in Gejiu and Mengzi, Yunnan, with an average yield of 1186 kilograms per mu. Yuan Longping's "dream of enjoying the cool under the grass" and "dream of covering the world with hybrid rice" are shining into reality.

There is joy in hardship, and I never give up. Being able to personally experience and witness the glory of the development of hybrid rice technology is the most glorious thing in my life! "Said Yin Huaqi. (End)

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