AgroupofriceresearchersinBeijinghavedecodedthegeneticpuzzlebehindthevexingtrade-offbetweentheaveragesizeofricegrainsandtheirmaximumnumberonriceears,pavingthewayfornext-generationsuperhigh-yieldvarieties,accordingtoastudypublishedinScienceonFriday.Thediscoveryheraldsamajorrevolutioninricebreedingsincehybridricewasrolledouthalfacenturyagoandhelpedcurbhungerglobally,expertssaid.Thenegativecorrelationbetweengrainsizeandtheirtotalnumberhaslongimpededprogresstowardhigher-yieldvarieties,asincreasingthegrainsizewoulddecreasethenumberofgrains.ResearchersfromtheInstituteofCropSciencesoftheChineseAcademyofAgriculturalSciences,ledbyTongHongning,hadlookedtoclustered-spikeletrice,awildvarietyinwhichmultiplegrainsgrowtogetheronasinglestem,assumingitbearsthelinchpintotippingthebalance.Afteryearsofresearch,thescientistsmanagedtoclonethekeygeneresponsiblefortheclustered-spikelet,andunraveledhowaplanthormone,brassinosteroids,canbemanipulatedthroughgeneticengineeringtobolstergrainnumberwithoutcompromisingsize.Clustered-spikeletricehasintriguedglobalplantresearchersforalmostacentury.However,thegeneresponsibleforitsformationhadneverbeenpinpointed,Tongsaid.TrialplantingdatashowedthatvarietiesdevelopedthroughTong'smethodproduce11.2percentto20.9percentmoreyielddependingonwheretheywereplanted."Wealsofoundthehormoneplayedasimilarroleinpepper,suggestingabroaderroleofthehormoneincontrollingmulti-spikeletphenotypesinnature,"hesaid.CaoYongsheng,avice-presidentoftheChineseAcademyofAgriculturalSciences,saidriceresearchhastwomajormilestones:dwarfricebreedingandhybridricebreeding.Itcountsontheminingofimportantgenes,suchasthatoftheclustered-spikeletrice,toscoreanotherbreakthroughinoutput."Riceisastapleforoverhalfoftheglobalpopulation.Withtheincreasingglobalpopulationanddecreasingarableland,improvingriceyieldissignificantforensuringglobalfoodsecurity,"hesaid.Caosaidthatprogressinbasicagriculturalscienceresearchisthedrivingforcebehindagriculturalinnovations,andisthebedrockforChinatoachievehigh-levelself-relianceinthesector.Technologiessuchasgeneediting,syntheticbiologyanddigitalintelligencearetransformingfarmingandintensifyingtechnologicalcompetition,headded.QianQian,oneoftheSciencepaper'scorrespondingauthorsandanacademicianattheChineseAcademyofSciences,saidscientificprogresscontributes63percentofagriculturaloutputvalueinChinaandhasstrengthenednationalfoodresilience."Ouragricultureisalreadyattheforefrontoftheworldonmanyfronts,"hesaid,addingthatChinaistheabsoluteleaderinricebreeding.Qian,adeputytothe14thNationalPeople'sCongress,thetoplegislature,whichmetinBeijingrecently,saidthecountry'sagriculturalbreakthroughsarebuiltuponworkbygenerationsoftechworkers."Scientists,representedbyYuanLongping(thefatherofhybridrice),haveovercometheglobalchallengeofhybridrice,providingthemostsolidfoundationforsolvingChina'sfoodproblems,"hesaid."Hybridricehasallowedustostandonanequalfootingwiththeworld."Editor:DisclaimerTheviewsandopinionsexpressedinthisarticlearethoseoftheauthor's,GMW.cnmakesnorepresentationsastoaccuracy,suitability,orvalidityofanyinformationonthissiteandwillnotbeliableforanyerrors,omissions,ordelaysinthisinformation.