Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center’s Yuan Longping Hybrid Rice Innovation Team
reported a seed-production yield of 1,060.8 jin per mu in Suining County,
Shaoyang, Hunan, exceeding the 1,000 jin/mu mark. The team noted the previous
national average for hybrid-rice seed production was about 320 jin/mu. National
retail seed prices run above 30 yuan/jin on average, with premium varieties up
to 80 yuan/jin, creating significant seed-cost pressure for farmers. Team chief
scientist Deng Huafeng said poor maternal outcrossing and flower-period
sensitivity to abnormal weather had constrained seed yields; the team used a
same-generation, double-selection double-fixation high-outcrossing,
strong-compatibility dual-purpose sterile-line breeding system and developed the
dual-purpose sterile line "Shuang1S" to address those problems.
