Recently, the National Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center issued a notice that the rice variety “Chun 9 Liangyou 70” bred by Yangtze University as the primary breeding unit has been confirmed as a 2025 super rice variety. This marks the first super rice variety recognized in Hubei Province since 2014. Currently, there are 4 registered super rice varieties in Hubei Province.
It is reported that super rice varieties refer to new rice varieties with high yield potential, while balancing quality and resistance. The super rice naming system follows a “dynamic entry-exit” mechanism, meaning new varieties meeting all indicators are added annually, while those no longer suitable for production needs are phased out. This plays a significant role in boosting China's rice production and ensuring national food security. In 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs recognized 13 super rice varieties and phased out 14, bringing the total number of currently named super rice varieties nationwide to 128.
“Chun 9 Liangyou 70” is an indica two-line hybrid rice variety developed by crossing “Chun 199S” (female parent) and "Changhui 70" (male parent). Among these, the male parent "Changhui 70" was independently bred by Yangtze University, while the female parent “Chun 199S” was developed by the Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and the Shenzhen Agricultural Genomics Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. At Yangtze University's experimental base, the university's rice genetic breeding team, in collaboration with Professor Xu Jianlong from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Professor Xing Yongzhong (formerly at Huazhong Agricultural University, now at Yazhou Bay National Laboratory), completed the breeding after 15 years of scientific research.
This variety was approved in 2022, with a total growth period of 135 days. It is suitable for planting as mid-season rice in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. It features high temperature tolerance, lodging resistance, high and stable yield, and its grain quality meets the national standard for high-quality rice (Grade 3).
During the super rice yield measurement trials in 2022 and 2024, despite prolonged extreme high-temperature disasters, the average yield of this variety still exceeded 780 kg per mu in both years, meeting the super rice recognition criteria and demonstrating strong high-temperature tolerance.
The rice genetic breeding team at Yangtze University consists of core members including Professor Li Zhixin, Professor Yang Longwei, Professor Qiu Xianjin, Associate Professor Xu Junying, and Associate Professor Liu Haiyang. In recent years, the team has shown strong development momentum, having bred 5 nationally approved new rice varieties and 8 provincially approved new rice varieties, with cumulative transformation value exceeding 7.9 million yuan. It has been granted 4 National Natural Science Foundation projects, 1 Hubei Provincial Central Government Guided Local Science and Technology Development Fund project, and was selected as an Innovative Group of Hubei Provincial Natural Science Foundation. The team has also won the First Prize of Hubei Provincial Natural Science Award and the Hubei Laboratory Highlighted Scientific and Technological Achievements. Team members have published 8 papers in well-known journals in the field, such as Molecular Plant and The Plant Cell, as first or corresponding authors, obtained 5 authorized national invention patents, and secured 4 plant variety rights.
