Sino-Pak universities to establish research center on hybrid rice

ISLAMABAD: Wuhan University-University of the Punjab Joint Research Center for Honglian Hybrid Rice is going to be established this year.

This was reported by Gwadar Pro on Friday quoting the official website of China Association for Science and Technology.

This move will boost the development of high-yield hybrid rice in Pakistan, a major rice exporter in the world, to improve domestic food safety as well as supplement rice export.

Honglian hybrid rice is one of the three major types of cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) of rice (Oryza sativa L.) that has been commercially used in hybrid rice seed production.

In China, it is a well-known hybrid rice type developed for over 40 years by Zhu Yingguo, the late member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and expert in plant genetics and breeding. By 2020, the global acreage of Honglian hybrid rice has surpassed about 26.67 million hectares.

The production of Honglian hybrid rice in Pakistan can reach around 7,500 kg per hectare, nearly three times as much as that of many other rice varieties, according to Zhu Renshan, professor-level senior engineer of Wuhan University who is now in charge of the international cooperation on this type of rice.

“A lot of hybrid rice varieties’ high-yield performance is only confined to a specific area. In contrast, Honglian hybrid rice can create bumper harvest not only in China but also in many other countries like Pakistan,” Zhu Renshan said.

Honglian hybrid rice adapts well to Pakistan’s climate. Even under extreme high temperature or changeable weather, the seed setting rate is still stable, much higher than that of other hybrid rice varieties. Moreover, Honglian rice seed production costs less. Therefore, farmers can get higher income at the same investment.