Bulletin Spring‧Summer 2001

his research on raising crop production through the study o f heredity an d breeding. Prof. Yuan's research on heredity began on the basis of I.V. M i c hu r i n and T.D. Lysenko's theories. W i t h his extraordinary diligence, he was able to acces s information f r om various authoritative sources and soon developed a p r o f o u nd understanding of G. Mendel and T. H . Morgan's principles . I n July 1961 a p l ant was f o u nd of irregular shape a nd bearing many ears of enormous grains. Prof. Yuan n u r t u r ed this plant w i t h parenta l care i n an experimental p a d dy field. However, the f o l l ow i ng year, afte r the plant h ad flowered, it was f o u nd to hav e borne o n ly a f ew weak ears v a r y i ng i n quality b ut all of an inferior standard. This disappointment d i d not daunt Yuan Longping, but prompted h i m to analyse his crops mor e carefully based on Mendel's L aw of Segregation . He f o u nd out that the plant i den t i f i ed the p r e v i ous yea r h ad regressed because it was a na t u r al h y b r i d, a nd hypothesized that artificiall y induced hybrids , properly nurtured, w o u l d yield mu ch better grain. So, f r om 1964, he f o rma l l y launched a n ew project on the creatio n of h y b r i d rice plants. The project sought to i den t i fy the factors conducive to the g r ow th of the h y b r i d p a d d y p l a nt a nd his studie s centred a r o u nd three lines, namely, the sterile line, the maintainer line, and the restorer line. Prof. Yuan's research d id not progress w i t h o ut impediments, especially at the time of the Cultural Revolution. Natural disasters, h uman errors and other undesirable happenings had their impact on his wo r k, but the y h ad not discouraged the determined and optimistic Yuan Longping , whose w i l l p ower had been the sustaining force behind the project. I n the 1970s Prof. Yuan, accompanied by his assistants, came to Yaxia n County in Hainan Province (now Sanya), a place k n o wn as the en d of the earth. I n November 1970, he discovered a male sterile w i l d rice wh i ch brought about a breakthrough i n the development o f a three- line hybridization system. In 1972, the first mal e sterile line was cultivated together w i t h the corresponding maintaine r line, and the first h y b r id rice w i t h strong heterosi s was created i n 1973. I n 1975 Prof. Yuan and his research team successfully planted the f r u it of their research i n the field and extensive production began in 1976. Research o n the h y b r id p a d dy i n China thu s took a gigantic step f o r wa rd f r o m that time, ushering i n a new era that was to astound the wo r l d. I n 1986 Prof. Yuan further developed his researc h and proposed that ric e hybridization m i g ht be effected by reducing three lines to t wo lines and eventually a single line. This became a key study in 'Project 863' of 1987, an i mp o r t a nt research project on a national scale. I n 1995, the two-line h y b r id rice was successfully produced. This p r o v i d ed p a d dy farmers w i t h ample opportunities for restructuring f a rm i ng activities in compliance w i t h national policy, as yield was increasing despit e reduction i n arable land. More recently he commenced his research on 'super h y b r id rice' and has made tremendou s progress. The first generation of super h y b r id rice already met a yield targe t of 700 kilograms per mu i n extensive p r odu c t i o n i n 2000, and it is anticipated that, by 2005, the extensive production yield w i l l reach the 800 kilogram mark, and 900 kilograms w h en the third generation i s in production. This, if achieved w i l l contribute significantly to the safeguar d of food safety i n our country in the n ew century. A t present Prof. Yuan is w o r k i ng closely w i t h Prof. Samue l Sun of the Centre of Plant and Fungal Biotechnology at The Chinese University of H o n g Ko ng an d Prof. Maurice Ku, a Chinese scientist at Wa s h i ng t on State Un i v e r s i ty on the c u l t i v a t i on o f h y b r i d rice of superior quality. This is one of the beautiful visions dearl y cherished b y Prof. Yuan, w h o said that he h ad t wo great wishes in life. The first was the speedy realization of the t h i rd generation of h y b r id rice, and th e second was the p r omo t i on of h y b r id rice wo r l dw i de as 45