When Liang Yuxin first heard about a new rice variety that could be harvested for years without replanting, he was eager to try it out. If his experiment are successful, it would give confidence to local farmers, said Liang, the representative of a farmers’ cooperative in China’s southwestern region of Guangxi. “Many plots are lying fallow in the rural areas of southern China, and the planting cost is high. But if I can plant rice once and reap harvests for several years, the cost will be greatly reduced,” Liang said. “Why won’t I try it?” Liang is one of more than 40,000 small farmers in ..read more

Smithsonian Magazine recently covered breakthrough research on perennial rice. These plants that grow back year after year show promise, but they are not a silver bullet. Today’s rice farmers must plant new seedlings every year, a process that requires time, energy and expensive inputs like fertilizer and pesticides. But a promising new option may be on the horizon: perennial rice plants that grow back again and again. Perennial rice isn’t a cure-all. But researchers say it can help growers do less work and spend less money, while also providing benefits to the environment. They shared more de ..read more

Local villagers put newly harvested rice into a machine for preliminary sieving in Nansa Village, Hani, Yi and Dai Autonomous County, Yuxi City, Yunnan Province. The yield of Yunda 107, a perennial rice variety planted on terraces in Nansa village, was tested on Sunday. Perennial rice can be harvested for successive regrowth seasons across years, maintaining a relatively stable yield and greatly reducing labor input. Villagers carry a bundle of newly harvested rice in Nansa Village, Hani, Yi and Dai Autonomous County, Yuxi City, Yunnan Province, Oct. 24, 2021. (Photo: China News Service ..read more

Scientists have long sought to create a perennial rice that would avoid the damage to the land caused by the necessity of planting annually. Now, Chinese researchers appear close to developing this new breed of rice, an achievement that could have major environmental benefits. Ten thousand years ago, China’s ancient inhabitants harvested the grains of wild rice, a perennial grass growing up to 15 feet tall in bogs and streams. The grains were small and red, maturing in waves and often shattering into the water. Their descendants transformed that grain into the high-yielding annual crop that to ..read more