Yield potential and stability in super hybrid rice and its production strategies

• Published in: Journal of Integrative Agriculture Vol. 16; no. 5; pp. 1009 - 1017
• Main Authors: HUANG, Min, TANG, Qi-yuan, AO, He-jun, ZOU, Ying-bin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Southern Regional Collaborative Innovation Center for Grain and Oil Crops (CICGO), Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, P.R.China 01.05.2017; KeAi Communications Co., Ltd
• Subjects: biochar; biomass production; breeding programs; China; climatic factors; crop rotation; cultivars; direct seeding; grain yield; harvest index; hills; hybrids; inflorescences; mechanized transplanting; no-tillage; no-tillage direct seeding; regression analysis; rice; seedlings; soil; soil quality; super hybrid rice; target yield; yield potential; yield stability; China; super hybrid rice; mechanized transplanting; no-tillage direct seeding; yield stability; target yield; yield potential
• ISSN: 2095-3119; 2352-3425
• DOI: 10.1016/S2095-3119(16)61535-6

China＇s Super Hybrid Rice Breeding Program has made significant progress over the past two decades. In this paper, we reviewed our studies on the yield potential and stability in super hybrid rice and discussed the strategies for super hybrid rice production. The results of our studies show that rice yield potential has been increased by 12% in super hybrid cultivars as compared with ordinary hybrid and inbred cultivars. The higher grain yields in super hybrid rice cultivars are attributed to larger panicle size coupled with higher biomass production or higher harvest index. However, grain yields in super hybrid rice cultivars vary widely among locations depending on soil and climatic factors. Therefore, it is important to tailor target yield to local conditions in super hybrid rice production. The target yield for super hybrid rice production can be determined by the average yield method or the regression model method. Improving soil quality is critical to achieving the target yield in super hybrid rice production. Favorable crop rotations such as rice-oilseed rape and novel soil management practices, such as biochar addition, are effective approaches to improve soil quality. It is needed to develop simplified cultivation tech- nologies for super hybrid rice to meet the changes in socioeconomic environments during the period of transition. There are such technologies as no-tillage direct seeding and mechanized transplanting at high hill density with single seedling per hill.