Hybrid Rice Makes A Great Contribution To China's Food Security

CHANGSHA, HUNAN - JUNE 20: A Chinese farmer works at a hybrid rice planting field on June 20, 2006 in Changsha city, Hunan province of China. Hybrid rice is a very important achievement created by China, with it's successful commercial production making a great contribution to China's food security. In 1964, Yuan Longping, who won the World Food Prize in 2004 - the United Nation's Food and Agricultural Organization's International Year of Rice, initiated the research of utilization of rice heterosis in China. In 1974, Yuan developed Nanyou 2, which was the first combination with high yield. In 1976, hybrid rice was commercialized in China. Hybrid rice has a 20 percent yield advantage over the inbred rice varieties. From 1976 to 2005, the accumulative harvested areas ofhybrid rice in China reached 340 million hectares. (Photo by Guang Niu/Getty Images)