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Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affair issued the No.867 Announcement, proclaimed that two new rice varieties, “Qinhanyou 651”and “Hanyou 718”, were cultivated through independent selection by the Rice Breeding innovation Team led by Professor Wu Wenhua in Hubei University. The two new varieties have been approved by the National Crop Variety Approval Committee with the approval numbers “Guoshendao 20244010”and “Guoshendao 20243141”, which marks another significant breakthrough in the field of rice breeding at Hubei University.

Qin Hanyou 651, the first water-saving and drought-resistant variety in Hubei province approved, filled the gap of Hubei province in this field. The variety has a whole growth period of 113.4 days, which is 0.3 days earlier than the control group. Over two years of regional trials, it achieved an average yield of 577.3 kilograms per mu, representing a 6.2% increase compared to the control group. In production trials, the average yield was 616.4 kilograms per mu, a 4.8% increase over the control group. From 2023 to 2024, the variety was planted on 2000 mu of dry land in Zhangji Farm, Laohekou, Xiangyang, without any flooding irrigation. It represented features like appropriate growth period, excellent drought resistance, high seed-setting rate, and strong lodging resistance.

Hanyou 718’s whole growth period is 118.5 days, which is 5.0 days earlier than the control group. Over two years of regional trials, it achieved an average yield of 603.3 kilograms per mu, representing a 5.1% increase compared to the control. In production trials, the average yield was 645.1 kilograms per mu, a 4.8% increase over the control group. The quality of the rice meets the premium level two of the industry standard. In 2024, it demonstrated appropriate growth period, good yield, and high quality when piloted as an example project in Anhui, Hubei, and Henan provinces. It also participated in the regional trials for the late-season indica rice group in southern Guangxi, showing its good adaptability and outstanding performance. It is expected to undergo expanded regional approval in 2025.