First, Yuan Longping is not only the pioneer of hybrid rice, but also the "leading goose" in this research field, and initiated a systematic new discipline-hybrid rice science. For more than forty years, every development stage and every major innovation of hybrid rice research can not be separated from his key role, which embodies his extraordinary experience, wisdom and academic thought.
1964, he broke through the constraints of the prevailing genetic viewpoint at that time and took the lead in developing the research of three-line hybrid rice in China. In 1970s, he solved three major problems in the research of three-line hybrid rice: three-line matching, excellent combination matching and low seed production. From the 1980s to the mid-1990s, he put forward the development strategy of hybrid rice breeding and solved some key technical problems in the two-line method.
After the mid-1990s, he designed the super-high yield plant type model with high crown, short panicle and middle panicle and the technical route of cultivating super hybrid rice, and made great progress in the research of super hybrid rice frequently. 1982, Yuan Longping, a scientist from China, was recognized as the "father of hybrid rice" in the world for the first time by the International Rice Research Institute. While practicing scientific research, Yuan Longping constantly summed up experience and sublimated his theory.
Since 1966 published the first research paper on hybrid rice in China, more than 60 papers have been published, including 12 papers published abroad; Published 7 monographs. As an academic leader, Yuan Longping has trained a large number of hybrid rice experts and technical backbones, established and improved a set of theoretical and applied technical systems for hybrid rice research and development, thus creating a systematic new discipline-hybrid rice science.
Second, the research on hybrid rice in Yuan Longping has solved the problem of feeding people in China and ensured the national food security. Someone once said humorously that farmers in China depend on "two levels" to eat, one is the responsibility system in Deng Xiaoping, and the other is the hybrid rice in Yuan Longping. Since 1976, "three-line" hybrid rice has been widely popularized in China, with an average yield increase of about 20% compared with conventional rice, which has made a historic contribution to solving China's grain problem.
In 2000, the first research target of super hybrid rice successfully passed the acceptance organized by the Ministry of Agriculture. Academician Song Jian, former State Councilor and former director of the State Science and Technology Commission, praised: "This achievement is of great significance to ensuring food security in China in the 2/kloc-0 century." Subsequently, Yuan Longping achieved the second research goal of super hybrid rice ahead of schedule, which increased the yield by about 30% compared with general hybrid rice.
According to statistics, by the end of 2006, China had planted more than 5.6 billion mu of hybrid rice, an increase of more than 520 billion kilograms of rice. In recent years, the annual planting area of hybrid rice in China is about 240 million mu, and the increased rice can feed more than 70 million people every year. This is a powerful answer to the question "Who will feed China in the future" put forward by American economist Brown in 1990s.
Thirdly, Yuan Longping regards "developing hybrid rice to benefit people all over the world" as his greatest pursuit in his life, and has made great contributions to promoting the international development of hybrid rice and promoting China's foreign exchange. From 65438 to 0980, hybrid rice, as the first patented agricultural technology exported from China, was transferred to the United States, which attracted wide attention from the international community.
In the early 1990s, FAO listed the promotion of hybrid rice as a strategic measure to solve the food shortage in developing countries. Over the years, Yuan Longping has visited the International Rice Research Institute for seven times to carry out cooperative research, and has been hired as the chief international consultant of FAO, and has visited India, Vietnam, Myanmar, Bangladesh and other countries for more than a dozen times to guide the development of hybrid rice. At the same time, he also held more than 20 international training courses on hybrid rice in China, and trained 500 technical talents for more than 30 countries.
After returning to China, these experts became the technical backbone of local research and popularization of hybrid rice. At present, Vietnam, India and the Philippines have become countries that produce and apply hybrid rice on a large scale, and the yield increase effect of hybrid rice is also very significant. For example, in Vietnam, the planting area of hybrid rice reached 650,000 hectares in 2004, with 6.3 tons per hectare, which was 40% higher than the national average rice output. For example, in 2005, the planting area of hybrid rice in the Philippines reached 370,000 hectares, with an average of 6.5 tons per hectare, which was 80% higher than the national average rice output, greatly improving the situation of food shortage in the Philippines.
The Philippine government plans to develop 3 million hectares of hybrid rice by 2007 to achieve food self-sufficiency. Because all conditions are ripe, in July 2005, Yuan Longping put forward the proposal of "hybrid rice diplomacy", that is, actively promoting hybrid rice in developing countries and expanding China's influence, so as to further promote the development of bilateral relations.
This proposal has been highly valued by state leaders and relevant departments, and "hybrid rice diplomacy" will become an important part of China's "going out" strategy. From 5 June to 10, 2005, Yuan Longping gave a speech at the fourth training course for ambassadors and counsellors of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and China's ambassadors, consuls-general and counsellors in more than 80 countries listened to the report.
Fourthly, Yuan Longping has trained a large number of hybrid rice research and extension talents. For more than 40 years, under his personal training, direct guidance and indirect influence, a hybrid rice technical team has been formed in his research center and the national hybrid rice technology research cooperation unit, shouldering the heavy responsibility of developing hybrid rice in depth.
For example, in the National Hybrid Rice Engineering and Technology Research Center, for many years, he has been donating the consulting fees obtained from the cooperation with American Rice Technology Company as the director fund, with a total donation of more than 6,543,800 yuan, which is used to support researchers, especially young people, to carry out promising and potential project research. Almost every year, several projects are funded by 20,000-50,000 yuan.
He not only supports the scientific and technical personnel of his own unit, but also supports the scientific researchers of other units, such as a postdoctoral fellow of Fujian Agricultural University, to carry out exploratory research on polyploid rice breeding, but suffers from insufficient funds. Academician Yuan Longping allocated a sum of money to encourage him to make achievements. Academician Yuan Longping is not only open-minded, but also advanced in consciousness. He knows that the future agricultural science and technology is backward only by conventional technology, and it must be combined with modern biotechnology and even go deep into the field of molecular technology to occupy the forefront of scientific and technological development.
To this end, he advocated the establishment of a molecular breeding room and spared no effort to strengthen the introduction and training of talents. At present, the talent team of his research center has formed a high-level trapezoidal structure, with more than 30 senior researchers, accounting for half of the total number of researchers; At the same time, a number of master's and doctoral students have been trained one after another, preparing reserve talents for greatly improving the level of scientific research; He also sent many young scientific and technological personnel abroad or to Hong Kong for further study. Someone asked, "Mr. Yuan, you've been sending them out, aren't you afraid they won't come back?"
Yuan Longping said kindly and seriously, "We should take a long-term view. Only by learning the advanced technology of others can we improve our technical level. " At present, doctoral students studying abroad have achieved remarkable results. In 1995, they found two important quantitative trait loci in wild rice for the first time, and each locus had the effect of increasing yield by 18% compared with the existing high-yield hybrid rice Wei You 64.