Yuan Longping (R, front), known in China as "the father of hybrid rice," checks the condition of hybrid rice in Hongxing Village of Xupu County, central China's Hunan province, Oct 10, 2014. (Xinhua/Li Ga)
A strain of hybrid rice that promises strong yields saw plunging output last year, prompting farmers to question if the distributor has falsely advertised the strain's resilience against disease.
"Liangyou 0293", a hybrid rice variety developed by Yuan Longping High-Tech Agriculture Co., Ltd. (Longping High-Tech) and grown around six cities of east China's Anhui Province has been reported to suffer massive crop failure after being infected with rice blast, a serious disease caused by the imperfect fungus.
More than 10,000 mu (about 667 hectares) of rice had low yield or even outright crop failure last October, said an investigation released by the provincial seed management station.
Longping Hi-Tech, which distributes hybrid rice seeds and engages in research of hybrid rice, was established by Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences in 1999. Yuan Longping, China's "father of hybrid rice" is its honorary chairman and shareholder, said the company's official website.
Liu Gen, deputy head of Anhui's seed management station, told Xinhua that the province planted around 40 million mu of rice last year, including 180,000 mu of "Liangyou 0293".
"The variety I grew was infected with the disease. I saw them dying," said Chang Xiuliang, a farmer from Wuhe County in Bengbu City. He added that each mu cost him more than 800 yuan (about 129 U.S. dollars).
Farmers like Chang alleged that the company was involved in false advertising and concealing the defects of the breed.
A leaflet distributed by Longping High-Tech says production of "Liangyou 0293" would stay intact even in bad years. Each mu will produce more than 800 kilograms of rice, said Chang.
The "Liangyou 0293" strain of hybrid rice boasts a less than 25 percent average probability of being infected by rice blast, according to promotional language used on the seeds' label. However, an instruction tucked inside the package suggests the highest probability of infection, at more than 50 percent, Chang told Xinhua.
