Hybrid Rice Adoption

Summary

Food security has been one of China’s greatest challenges. China has successfully launched and commercialized hybrid rice technologies in order to feed an extra 80 million people every year. The national average yield of rice reached 7.04 tons per hectare in 2020, and hybrid rice accounts for 57 per cent of all land under rice cultivation. Hybrid rice also make China the world’s largest rice-consuming country self-sufficient in rice production.

Challenge/Problem

Developing countries share a common need to improve their rice production and productivity to achieve food security. Food security has been one of China’s greatest challenges, and the country still faces an unfavourable population-land ratio. Arable land per capita has decreased from 0.18 hectares in 1950 to less than 0.1 hectares today, while China’s population has more than doubled over the past 70 years, from about 560 million to 1.41 billion.

China is the largest rice-producing and -consuming country in the world. China's rice accounts for 30.7 per cent of its total food crop acreage while producing 34.3 per cent of crop yield. Annual rice acreage has been about 30.1 million hectares, which yielded 211.9 million tonnes of rice in 2020. The surplus and deficit of rice production in China directly affects the food price within China and other countries. Besides, only a small share of global rice production reaches the world rice market, the volume of which is not sufficient to meet China’s burgeoning demand.

Food is a strategic good. During world food crises, embargoes and export bans can hurt food security. Given this dynamic, food security, and rice self-sufficiency in particular, is one of China's top priorities.

Solution

In order to feed an expanding population and achieve food security, China began developing hybrid rice in 1964 via a three-line system (male sterile line, maintainer line and restorer line). By 1987, the two-line system (male sterile line and restorer line) of hybrid breeding was launched, with more freedom to produce hybrids with normal fertility, good rice grain quality, high yield potential and improved disease resistance. In 1995, China successfully commercialized the two-line hybrid rice technology, and rice yields averaged more than 6 tons per hectare. By 2008, the total area under two-line hybrid rice was 3.3 million hectares, about 11 per cent of total rice acreage and 22 per cent of hybrid rice acreage.

In order to ensure the food needs of all Chinese people in the 21st century, the Ministry of Agriculture of China established yield targets and a three-phase strategy for the “super hybrid rice breeding” program in 1996. By 2016, Chinese rice scientists had reached the Phase IV objective, achieving yield production of 15 tons per hectare.

The Chinese government provided critical support to the hybrid rice program through funding and policies. China’s Ministry of Agriculture selected three-line hybrid rice technology as one of 22 key research projects in 1971 and launched the super hybrid rice-breeding program in 1996. Government policies, standards and investments in human resources and necessary infrastructure made hybrid rice attractive, profitable and sustainable, which provided a solid foundation for high-yielding and cost-effective hybrid rice seed production.

Results

The key results attained are highlighted below:

- China’s total rice production increased from 136.93 million tons in 1978 to 211.86 million tons in 2020 (a 54.7 percent jump). Hybrid rice accounts for about 65 per cent of total rice output.

- The hybrid rice program raised the national average yield from 3.98 tons per hectare in 1978 to 7.04 tons per hectare in 2020 (a 77.1 percent increase). The output of hybrid rice will increase by about 2.5 million tons annually, which can feed an additional 80 million people each year.

- The hybrid rice’s yield advantage has enabled China to cultivate it using less land. China reduced its total rice-growing acreage from about 34.4 million hectares in 1978 to 30.1 million hectares in 2020, a 12.5 percent decrease, with hybrid rice accounting for 57 per cent of the total rice planting area.

- China’s commercialized hybrid rice has adapted better than conventional rice to a range of climatic and geographic conditions, including high-stress environments.

- Hybrid rice research, extension, seed production and related industries employ tens of thousands of people, while hybrid rice cultivation itself has helped to release rural labor into other off-farm areas of employment.

Lessons Learned/Potential for replication

- Full government support and commitment are imperative for hybrid rice technologies, especially in the early stages of research. In China, the government has provided generous funding, conducive policies and information campaigns to promote the research, development and deployment of hybrid rice.

- Adequate human resources, including a high-ranking scientist who coordinates and oversees progress, ensures helpful participation from multiple disciplines (such as researchers and extension workers) for developing new rice technologies.

- Effective seed production infrastructure, minimum seed quality standards and long-term maintenance of the genetic purity of parental lines and hybrid seeds are essential. It is also critical that research and extension infrastructures are regional, as different ecological rice-growing regions or markets need unique hybrids.

- Comprehensive training programs (such as plot demonstrations, technology workshops, technical briefings, frontline demonstrations, field tours and mass media campaigns) can help popularize the remarkable yield improvement of hybrid rice.

Next Steps

Chinese rice scientists have developed and tested transgenic hybrid rice for environmental evaluations. Other genes may be transferred into hybrid rice in the near future, such as those for drought tolerance, nitrogen use efficiency and disease resistance.

Many developing countries, especially food-deficient countries, are eager to solve food security problems by introducing and promoting high-yield hybrid rice. Therefore, hybrid rice technology can be an important part of agricultural development in other countries.