Developing Hybrid Rice to ensure Food Security

Rice is the most important food crop, more than half of the world's population takes rice as the staple food, and more than 60% of the population in China takes rice as the staple food. Rice is the first among food crops, the second is wheat, the third is corn, and the fourth is potato. Rice accounts for 40% of China's grain, while wheat, corn and potatoes add up to 60%. Therefore, increasing the yield of rice is of great positive significance to ensure our food security. In 2009, the National Development and Reform Commission proposed to increase 100 billion jin of grain by 2020 to meet the requirements. By that time, China's population may reach 1.5 billion, so the situation in our country is that there are many people and little land. If the red line of 1.8 billion mu of arable land is guaranteed, it is only one mu and three mu of land per capita.

How to improve our grain problem, the only way out is to increase the grain output per unit area, and to increase the grain output per unit area through scientific and technological progress. There are many ways to increase the yield per unit area, first of all, to build water conservancy, improve soil, increase fertilizer, improve the level of cultivation techniques, and so on. Among them, the most economical and effective way to achieve immediate results is to adopt excellent varieties. As far as rice is concerned, it is the promotion of hybrid rice, which can greatly increase the yield per unit area of rice. In 1998, our rice planting area was 500 million mu, but now it is only 450 million mu, reducing the rice field area by 50 million mu, but increasing the grain production by 100 billion jin. The main contribution is the popularization of hybrid rice.

Hybrid rice can greatly increase its yield. What is hybrid rice? Hybrid rice is the use of rice heterosis, heterosis is a common biological phenomenon, animals, plants, microorganisms, as small as bacteria as high as human beings have this phenomenon, rice is no exception. Hybrid rice is the use of rice heterosis, two varieties of a hybrid, the middle is the hybrid rice, the left is the female parent variety, the right is the male parent variety. In the lower part, we can see that the root system of hybrid rice is particularly developed, the aboveground wheat ear is also very large, the male parent is larger than the female parent, and the yield is very high. Heterosis only exists in the hybrid F1 generation, but there is no heterosis in the second generation, so F1 hybrid rice is produced every year. The first generation of hybrid rice can be produced in large quantities by using rice male sterile lines. We use two artificial pollens, which fall on the males, so that hybrid rice can be produced on a large scale, and this seed is used for field production.

Last year, there were nearly 450 million mu of rice in the country, of which 250 million were hybrid rice, accounting for more than 57% of the country's total rice area. At present, the average yield of rice is 430 kg / mu and that of hybrid rice is 500 kg / mu. As we all know, Japan is a country with relatively developed science and technology. Its rice area is 2600 or 7 million mu, with an average yield of 450kg. Our hybrid rice area is nine times that of him, and our yield per mu is 50kg more than him. India is a developing country with an average yield of 200 kg per mu, and our hybrid rice is far ahead of the world. Under the same conditions, our hybrid rice has increased by about 20% compared with conventional fine varieties, and the increased grain can feed 70 million more people every year.

In order to meet the state's demand for grain in the new century, the Ministry of Agriculture set up a super rice plan in 1996, which is divided into four stages. the first stage is from 1996 to 2000, with a target of more than 700 kilograms per mu. This is a 100-mu harvest of more than 700 kilograms for two consecutive years. The second is from 2013 to 2005, the yield per mu is 800kg; the third is from 2006 to 2015, the yield per mu is 900kg; the fourth period is from 2001 to 2020, the yield per mu is 1000 kg. By the year 2000, we have successfully cultivated several pioneer combinations of super hybrid rice, with a yield of 500 kg per mu and a yield of 500 kg per mu, with an area of more than 10 million mu and an average yield of 550 kg per mu in recent years. The second phase of super rice was realized in 2004 one year ahead of schedule, and began to popularize on a large scale in 2006. last year, the planting area was close to 10 million mu, with an average yield of more than 600kg / mu. The super rice in the third stage reached 900kg / mu in 2012. there is a 100-mu demonstration plot in Longhui County, Hunan Province, which is actually 108mu. Finally, the yield per mu reached 926.6 kg after being checked and accepted by experts from the Ministry of Agriculture. When the standards were met in 2012, we proposed to the Ministry of Agriculture to move to the fourth phase of the super rice plan, which was approved by the Ministry of Agriculture, with a target of 1000 kg per mu. This year, we made another advance to 1000 kg in Longhui County, and finally passed the acceptance check by experts from the Ministry of Agriculture. We had hoped to make a breakthrough this year, but the result was almost 988.1 kg, and there was still a shortfall of 19 kg. This is our fourth phase of super rice. We plan to reach the target in 2020 and strive to exceed 1000 kg in 2015. I am more confident that we can achieve it through two years of efforts.

People ask whether there is a bottom for the increase in rice production if it breaks through 1000 kilograms, and is there any potential to be tapped? I said that after achieving 1000 kilograms, I am not satisfied, I also want to climb to a higher output. In theory, we give a 50% discount to say that the output of 2.5 kg of light energy utilization in Changsha during the rice production season should be 1500 kg, so we still have potential to achieve 1000 kg, I am confident. I will carry forward the spirit of the old horse in the stable and march to 1100 or 1200 kilograms. For our ancient varieties, the best yield is 300 kg, and the dwarf variety is 400 kg. In order to increase the yield, we have made a semi-dwarf pole, about one meter, and the yield has been increased, with a yield of about 500 kg per mu. At present, hybrid rice basically belongs to semi-dwarf rice. Our current super rice is half-high, about 1.3 meters, reaching a yield of 900kg and 1000 kg per mu. If it is further improved, it will be a new high pole. Finally, there is an ultra-high pole, with an output of about 1200 or 300 kilograms, and the pole is five or six meters high. At present, 1200 or 1300 can be done. Therefore, hybrid rice has three major tasks in the future. The first task is to advance to super high yield. One thousand or 1200 is the first task. Second, under the project of "planting three crops and four crops", planting three mu of super rice should produce four mu of grain. It was launched in Hunan in 2004. In the first year, 20 counties and 18 counties met the standards, and this year, 51 counties and 48 counties reached the standards. We plan to grow to 15 million mu by 2016, and the state's task for Hunan is to increase production by 4 billion kg. Our project has completed the task of the National Development and Reform Commission. Anhui, Henan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou and Yunnan have all caught up. We plan to develop the three crops and four crops throughout the country to 60 million mu of fields to produce 80 million mu of grain, which is equivalent to an increase of 20 million mu of arable land, or 8 billion kg per mu. For the country's 100 billion jin of grain, rice accounts for 40%, and this item can complete 40% of the country's tasks. The third is called the "Trinity" project, which feeds one person by one-third and one kilogram of grain a day. Hunan Province began to implement it this year. Two of the five counties have achieved the goal of producing 1200 kg of grain per mu and 360kg of grain per mu. We need to develop the "Trinity" project of 5 million mu in Hunan, which is 9% of Hunan's arable land. The grain produced can supply 24% of the population of Hunan, that is, 9% of the cultivated land can feed 24% of the population. Therefore, through scientific and technological progress, we Chinese people can completely solve the food problem on our own. I am very optimistic. With better policies, the state's policy of benefiting farmers can be truly implemented, step up efforts, and arouse farmers' enthusiasm for growing grain, so that we Chinese can completely rely on ourselves to solve the problem of food and ensure food security.

Hybrid rice performs well not only in China, but also abroad. Now large-scale production countries include India, Vietnam, Bangladesh, the Philippines, the United States and Indonesia. In 2012, the planting area of hybrid rice in the world was 5.2 million hectares, and the increase in developing countries such as India and Vietnam was very large. The most developed country, the United States, planted more than 6 million mu of our hybrid rice, and its yield increased by 20% compared with local fine varieties. So I have two dreams. The first dream is the dream of super rice. I dreamt that our super rice grows taller than sorghum in my experimental field. The ear of grain is as long as a broom and the grain is as big as peanut. My colleagues and I are under the ear of rice. I hope we can realize this dream by tackling the key problem of super rice, and finally reach 1200 kilograms. The second dream is that hybrid rice covers the whole world, and hybrid rice goes abroad to spread to the whole world. At present, there are a total of 2.3 billion mu of rice fields in the world, and if half of them produce hybrid rice, they will increase production by 130 to 150kg per mu, increase grain by 150 million tons, and feed 400 to 500 million more people every year. If this dream comes true, the first meaning is to make our contribution to world food security and world peace. In the second sense, it can greatly improve our country's international status and make more good friends. The third meaning is that it has considerable economic benefits. How to realize the second dream? The third Plenary session of the CPC Central Committee is more comprehensive and in-depth reform and opening up, and the state has formulated good policies to help, encourage and support our leading planting enterprises to go abroad. Jilin Province is the largest corn growing place in the country, 60% of which is invested by pioneers. Pioneers have great advantages in growing corn, but hybrid rice is an absolute advantage. This year, the Philippines held a conference on hybrid rice science and technology. They showed all the world's excellent hybrid rice varieties. There are more than 40 varieties, and the top three are all Chinese. But our breed is not allowed to go out. I appeal to let us take the initiative to fight out, realize my second dream, and make our Chinese contribution to world peace and world food security.