Southeast Network, November 1st report (Reporter Xu Shangfu, Lin Xianchang, Hong Zhenwei, Correspondent Hu Haiming) – The 16th China International Seed Industry Expo and the 21st National Seed Information Exchange and Product Trade Fair (referred to as the "National Seed Double Exchange Conference") were held in Fuzhou on October 29th. During the event, a discussion on the 40th anniversary of the hybrid rice variety "Shanyou 63" and the high-quality development of rice seed industry was conducted. Nine academicians, including Liu Xu, Wan Jianmin, Dai Jingrui, and Chen Wenfu from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, as well as Xie Lianhui, Han Bin, Qian Qian, He Zuhua, and Xie Hua'an from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, jointly issued the “Fuzhou Initiative for China's Rice Breeding Innovation,”"calling for the national rice seed industry to remain committed to the “big national goals”and continue to maintain China's leading position in rice scientific research and breeding internationally.

“Shanyou 63” Has Helped Secure the Chinese People’s Rice Bowl for 40 Years

“Shanyou 63” is a hybrid rice variety bred by Academician Xie Hua'an, based on the disease-resistant restoration line "Minghui 63." It possesses high yield, high quality, disease resistance, and wide adaptability, solving the fatal defect of poor resistance to rice blast in hybrid rice at the time. According to seed department identification, “Shanyou 63” has an average yield of 450-500 kg per mu, with a maximum yield of 860 kg per mu. The rice has excellent quality and taste, with a content of around 20% amylose. 

“Shanyou 63” was approved in Fujian Province in 1984 and became the most widely planted hybrid rice variety in the country by 1986. For the following 16 years, it held the top position, setting four national records: hybrid rice promotion speed, annual planting area, cumulative planting area, and total increased rice production. It has now been promoted to 13 countries across four continents, with a cumulative planting area of more than 1 billion mu and an increase in rice production exceeding 140 billion jin, generating an economic benefit of over 60 billion yuan. It has created a miracle in the history of China’s rice farming, contributing significantly to rice yield increases, farmers' income, and food security. 

Following “Shanyou 63,” Xie Hua'an's team developed a series of high-quality restoration lines like "Minghui 77" and "Minghui 86" and classic hybrid combinations such as "Shanyou 77" and "Vyou 77." Among them, "Shanyou 77" is a strong early-season rice variety with excellent resistance to rice blast, complementing the mid-late rice variety "Shanyou 63," and it ranks among the top five hybrid early rice varieties in China by cumulative planting area. 

In 1996, China launched the Super Rice Breeding Program. Subsequently, a national collaboration group led by experts such as Yuan Longping and Xie Hua'an was established. In this period, experts from Fujian, represented by Xie Hua'an, bred nine varieties, including “Yiyou 673” and “Liangyou 616,” which were recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs as super rice varieties. 

At the same time, Xie Hua'an's team turned its attention to space, becoming the first to introduce space mutation breeding technology into hybrid rice, developing combinations like “Teyou Hang 1” and “IIyou Hang 1,” which repeatedly broke rice yield records. Among them, “IIyou Hang 1” achieved a record yield of 1162.01 kg per mu in Yunnan in 2003, setting the highest yield record since the introduction of China’s space-bred rice.

Green and High-Quality Rice like “Fuxiangzhan” Becoming Part of People's High-Quality Life

Fujian, with its “eight mountains, one water, and one field” terrain, has an average per capita arable land area less than a quarter of the national average. Coupled with frequent meteorological disasters, the space for increasing grain production by expanding the area is extremely limited. Against this backdrop, Fujian launched a large-scale single-yield improvement initiative for major crops, including grain and oil, in 2023.

 In August 2024, Academician Xie Hua'an and other rice experts visited Wanxin Family Farm in Lianjiang Town, Pucheng County, to measure the yield of the regenerated rice variety “Nei 10 You 7185” under full mechanized cultivation for the first season. The result showed an average yield of 774.6 kg per mu. 

To improve the land's replanting index and ensure food security, the province vigorously promoted 180,000 mu of regenerated rice. In Pucheng County, fields of regenerated rice have generally achieved “ton-per-acre fields,” with a total yield of about 1300 kg per mu, becoming a new contributor to rice production.

 At present, rice breeding is no longer limited to high yield alone, but focuses more on comprehensive traits such as disease resistance, quality, and adaptability. The new high-quality Japonica rice variety “Minlong 1,” developed by Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences' Rice Research Institute in recent years, has achieved a high level of yield, resistance, and quality, and has been promoted to over one million mu in Northeast China. With the adjustment in consumption structure and people’s pursuit of high-quality living, high-quality rice that is both tasty and nutritious has become a new breeding direction. 

The quality conventional fragrant rice variety “Fuxiangzhan” developed by Xie Hua'an’s team in recent years is not only high-quality and disease-resistant but also outstanding in storage resistance, with its rice not easily aging, maintaining taste even after two years of storage. This variety won the gold award for the third National Quality Rice Taste Evaluation (Indica Rice) in 2020. In 2022, the “Fuxiangzhan” rice variety set a record with an average yield of 670 kg per mu in Fujian Province. This year, on October 9th, experts measured the yield of “Fuxiangzhan,” which reached a new high of 714 kg per mu in Longyan City’s Xinluo District.

Fuzhou Initiative: Focused on Global and China's Food Security 

Nine academicians jointly issued the "Fuzhou Initiative for China’s Rice Breeding Innovation," advocating that peers focus on the “big national goals” and commit to the revitalization of the seed industry. 

Academician Xie Hua'an emphasized that future breeding strategies should integrate gene engineering, cell engineering, chromosome engineering, plant mutation, molecular breeding, and genome editing with traditional breeding methods. In-depth research on basic theories of stress-resistant genetic breeding should be carried out to breed new, comprehensive, and excellent varieties with high yield, quality, and resistance, ensuring that China's rice seed industry remains at the top of the world. 

Looking forward, rice breeding will no longer just be about “quantity” breakthroughs, but will also pursue quality, sustainability, and ecological friendliness, gradually merging genetic breeding with agricultural cultivation, plant protection, soil fertility, and agricultural machinery disciplines to breed more breakthrough varieties like “Shanyou 63.” Academician Liu Xu from the Chinese Academy of Engineering stated in an interview that the publication of the “Fuzhou Initiative for China’s Rice Breeding Innovation” encourages all sectors to pay attention to the research of crop germplasm resources to ensure China’s food security. 

This is of great significance for ensuring global food security, promoting international food trade, and strengthening international cooperation. This year marks the first year of the implementation of the "Food Security Law of the People's Republic of China." China must firmly grasp the initiative on food security to better address risks and challenges. The initiative reflects the responsibility and confidence of today’s Chinese food crop scientists. Through technological innovation and policy support, China can and must cultivate more super rice varieties to ensure national food security and stabilize the rice bowls of 1.4 billion Chinese people.