Hybrid rice
Encyclopedia
Hybrid rice is any genealogy of rice
produced by crossbreeding different kinds of rice. As with other types of hybrids, hybrid rice typically displays heterosis
(or hybrid vigor) such that when it is grown under the same conditions as comparable high-yielding inbred rice varieties it can produce up to 30% more rice. High-yield crops, like hybrid rice, are one of the most important tools for combating world food crises.
The earliest high-yield rice was cultivated by Henry 'Hank' Beachell
in 1966, but it was not until the 1974 that the first hybrid rice varieties were released in China.
In crop breeding, although the use of heterosis
in first-generation seeds (or F1) is well known, its application in rice was limited because of the self-pollination character of that crop. In 1974, Chinese scientists successfully transferred the male sterility gene from wild rice to create the cytoplasmic genetic male-sterile (CMS) line and hybrid combination. The first generation of hybrid rice varieties were three-line hybrids and produced yields that
were about 15 to 20 percent greater than those of improved or high-yielding varieties of the same growth duration.
At the present time, Yuan Longping
, the "Father of Hybrid Rice", may be the most famous in research on hybrid rice. In the 1970s, he made his seminal discovery of the genetic basis of heterosis in rice. This was a unique discovery because it had been previously thought that heterosis was not possible for self-pollinating crops such as rice. According to the China Daily
, in 2011, Yuan developed a new hybrid rice that can produce 13.9 tons of rice per hectare.
In China, hybrid rice is estimated to be planted on more than 50% of rice-growing land there and it is credited with helping the country increase its rice yields, which are among the highest within Asia. Hybrid rice is also grown in many other important rice producing countries including Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Brazil, USA, and the Philippines. A 2010 study published by the International Rice Research Institute
(IRRI), reports that the profitability of hybrid rice in three Indian states varied from being equally profitable as other rice to 34% more profitable.
Outside of China other institutes are also researching hybrid rice, including IRRI, which also coordinates the Hybrid Rice Development Consortium.
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
produced by crossbreeding different kinds of rice. As with other types of hybrids, hybrid rice typically displays heterosis
Heterosis
Heterosis, or hybrid vigor, or outbreeding enhancement, is the improved or increased function of any biological quality in a hybrid offspring. The adjective derived from heterosis is heterotic....
(or hybrid vigor) such that when it is grown under the same conditions as comparable high-yielding inbred rice varieties it can produce up to 30% more rice. High-yield crops, like hybrid rice, are one of the most important tools for combating world food crises.
The earliest high-yield rice was cultivated by Henry 'Hank' Beachell
Henry Beachell
Dr. Henry M. Beachell was an American plant breeder. His research led to the development of hybrid rice cultivars that saved millions of people around the world from starvation....
in 1966, but it was not until the 1974 that the first hybrid rice varieties were released in China.
In crop breeding, although the use of heterosis
Heterosis
Heterosis, or hybrid vigor, or outbreeding enhancement, is the improved or increased function of any biological quality in a hybrid offspring. The adjective derived from heterosis is heterotic....
in first-generation seeds (or F1) is well known, its application in rice was limited because of the self-pollination character of that crop. In 1974, Chinese scientists successfully transferred the male sterility gene from wild rice to create the cytoplasmic genetic male-sterile (CMS) line and hybrid combination. The first generation of hybrid rice varieties were three-line hybrids and produced yields that
were about 15 to 20 percent greater than those of improved or high-yielding varieties of the same growth duration.
At the present time, Yuan Longping
Yuan Longping
Yuan Longping is a Chinese agricultural scientist and educator, known for developing the first hybrid rice varieties in the 1970s. His "hybrid rice" has since been grown in dozens of countries in Africa, America, and Asia—providing a robust food source in high famine risk areas. He is called "The...
, the "Father of Hybrid Rice", may be the most famous in research on hybrid rice. In the 1970s, he made his seminal discovery of the genetic basis of heterosis in rice. This was a unique discovery because it had been previously thought that heterosis was not possible for self-pollinating crops such as rice. According to the China Daily
China Daily
The China Daily is an English language daily newspaper published in the People's Republic of China.- Overview :China Daily was established in June 1981 and has the widest print circulation of any English-language newspaper in the country...
, in 2011, Yuan developed a new hybrid rice that can produce 13.9 tons of rice per hectare.
In China, hybrid rice is estimated to be planted on more than 50% of rice-growing land there and it is credited with helping the country increase its rice yields, which are among the highest within Asia. Hybrid rice is also grown in many other important rice producing countries including Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Brazil, USA, and the Philippines. A 2010 study published by the International Rice Research Institute
International Rice Research Institute
The International Rice Research Institute is an international NGO. Its headquarters are in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines, and it has offices in sixteen countries...
(IRRI), reports that the profitability of hybrid rice in three Indian states varied from being equally profitable as other rice to 34% more profitable.
Outside of China other institutes are also researching hybrid rice, including IRRI, which also coordinates the Hybrid Rice Development Consortium.
External links
- Hybrid rice, International Rice Research InstituteInternational Rice Research InstituteThe International Rice Research Institute is an international NGO. Its headquarters are in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines, and it has offices in sixteen countries...
- Hybrid Rice Development Consortium
- Hybrid rice network in Chinese
- Hybrid rice for food security
- Hybrid rice FAQ, International Rice Research InstituteInternational Rice Research InstituteThe International Rice Research Institute is an international NGO. Its headquarters are in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines, and it has offices in sixteen countries...