Year-ender: China's sci-tech achievements in 2022 (15)

A demonstration site of perennial rice in Menghai, Yunnan province. [Photo/official Wechat account of Yunnan University]

Chinese researchers breed perennial rice with high yields over years with one planting

According to an article published in the Journal of Nature Sustainability on Nov 7, Chinese researchers have successfully bred perennial rice, which can produce high yields over two to four consecutive years with a single planting.

The research was made by Hu Fengyi and his team from Yunnan University in Southwest China.

The article said that perennial cultivars are strongly preferred by farmers as growing them saves 58.1 percent of labor and 49.2 percent of input costs in each growth cycle.

The perennial rice created by Hu's team is an innovation in rice breeding. The crop can be brought in continuously for three to four years with no-till harvest once planted – and harvested twice a year, with an average yield of 6.8 metric tons per hectare per season – which compares to the annual yield of conventional rice of 6.7 tons per hectare.

The cultivation of PR, after more than 20 years of efforts, represents a cropping system that simultaneously achieves grain production, labor reduction and ecological security, especially for terraced and fragile farmland.

On Dec 6, the journal Science announced its top 10 scientific breakthroughs for 2022, among which were the findings on perennial rice by Hu and his team.