Rice Varietal Improvement and Rice Production in China
中国水稻品种改良以及对水稻生产的影响

The specific objective of the study is to analyse the adoption of improved varieties and the changes in characteristics of varieties across China. It also estimates the contribution of varietal improvement to rice production in China. The results indicated that the story of rice improvement over the past 50 years stood as an enormous success. Nearly 30% of the net gain in rice production came from varietal improvement. Compared with the beginning of the 1980s, the numbers of released varieties have increased by 1.5 times, the share of total rice area planted to varieties with resistances,10%, and the planting area of high-quality varieties, 50%. However, the declining contribution of varietal improvement since 1997 means that governments should encourage breeders to explore elite germplasm, improve breeding level, and enhance yield so that varietal improvement can contribute greater to rice production.