For 15 years, Jiangsu Hongqi Seed Industry in Hailing district, Taizhou, has dedicated itself to addressing climate challenges in rice cultivation.
Facing frequent heatwaves in the Yangtze River basin, the company's research project on heat-tolerant gene resources and the breeding of high-quality heat-resistant medium indica hybrid rice recently won the first prize of Jiangxi Provincial Scientific and Technological Progress. This marks its first provincial-level science award outside Jiangsu, following a previous provincial-level win for wheat varieties.
"The region suffers from scarce heat-resistant rice varieties, unclear genetic mechanisms, and outdated breeding techniques," explained Liu Chen, assistant general manager of Hongqi Seed Industry. The team introduced germplasm resources from the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines and, through systematic selection and cross-testing, identified 11 new heat-tolerant germplasm lines.
Researchers in the lab of the Hongqi Seed Industry. [Photo/WeChat account: weihailing0523]
The breakthrough led to Liangyou 106, a two-line hybrid rice variety with exceptional heat resistance and superior grain quality. Widely planted across Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Hubei, Anhui, and Hunan provinces, it has gained farmer trust.
As a national agricultural leader and breeding-propagation-promotion enterprise in Taizhou, Hongqi Seed Industry annually produces over 20,000 metric tons of certified seeds, covering over 66,000 hectares nationwide. Its exports rank first in Jiangsu and in the top 10 nationally.
A view of golden rice fields. [Photo/WeChat account: weihailing0523]
From lab experiments to golden rice fields, Hongqi Seed Industry embodies the spirit of "translating research into practice", contributing to China's food security with scientific innovation.