A research team at the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS), Chinese Academy of Science led by Prof. WU Yuejin has developed a rice variety using ion beam breeding technology. Prof. Wu's team applied ion beam mutagenesis in crop breeding to promote the development of molecular breeding.

The rice variety is called Zhongkejing No. 5. "Zhongke" means the Chinese Academy of Science in Chinese, and it was developed for the advantageous production areas of glutinous rice in Anhui province. Zhongke No. 5 is early maturity, has strong resistance and high nitrogen fertilizer utilization efficiency. It has passed the regional appraisal test in Anhui province and received support from the local government.

"We have been focusing on Ion Beam Bioengineering for decades. It will help to alleviate the shortage of good varieties of glutinous rice," said Dr. LIU Binmei, breeder of the rice variety. In China, more than 100 new varieties of rice, wheat, and corn have been bred through ion beams in 2020, making important contributions to the advancement of agricultural science and technology.

For more details, read the article in the Chinese Academy of Sciences Newsroom.