This article was first published in December 2020, from the WeChat official account:Lookout (ID: OutlookWeekly1981 ), author: Xu Oulu, title picture from “Liaowang” News Weekly
He compares rice to nuclear weapons, and his opponent is hungry. He won.
“With the help of technological progress, China can completely solve its own food problem, and it can also help the people of the world solve the problem of eating.”
“Don’t be afraid of cynicism when doing scientific research, and don’t be afraid of others saying you are unconventional. If you are always superstitious about this superstition, afraid of this and fearing that, you can always only follow others. Only dare Only if you want to be bold and persevere can you be a leader in technological innovation.”
Yuan Longping is a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. The Chinese hybrid rice breeding expert, the pioneer of the research and development of hybrid rice in China, is known as the “father of hybrid rice in the world”.
Major contributions: Yuan Longping is a pioneer and leader in the field of hybrid rice research. From 1960 to the present, he has always been committed to the research and development of hybrid rice technology. Application and promotion have overcome the “seed production barrier”. To make outstanding contributions to China’s food security and to solve world hunger.
Honor: Acquired world knowledge successivelyWIPO “Outstanding Inventor” Gold Award, UNESCO “Science Award”, American Feinster Foundation “Save the World Hunger Award”, Japan “Nikkei Asia Award”, “Japan Koshihikari International Rice Award”, etc. International awards. In September 2019, he was awarded the “Medal of the Republic”.
The black car parked in front of the Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center. With the help of his assistant, 90-year-old Yuan Longping walked down, stepping up the steps and listening to the report. Before ten o’clock, he came to work.
“It says 700 kilograms over there.” said the assistant. He listened carefully and nodded: “Yes.”
On November 2nd, his team set another record-the late rice varieties belonging to the third generation hybrid rice still performed well under adverse weather, making the double-season hybrid rice yield per mu exceeded 1,500 kg. He sat quietly in the meeting room connected to the birth test site, dark skinned and wearing a somewhat large black suit. If it weren’t for the constant reports and congratulations to him, it wouldn’t look like the scientist in his mind.
But he has already won the highest honor in this field: the first winner of the highest national science and technology award, won the World Food Award and the Wolf Prize more than ten years ago, and General Secretary Xi Jinping awarded him the “Republic Medal.” There is also an asteroid named after him.
Foreign ambassadors to China visit his office. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations warned of a food supply crisis, and people were eagerly awaiting his response. Some netizens said: “Only Yuan Longping can say that I am fat, I really eat his rice.”
His more well-known deeds are: the pioneer of hybrid rice research, the first scientist in the world who successfully applied the hybrid advantage of rice to production, and devoted himself to the research, application and promotion of hybrid rice technology for decades. It has made great contributions to my country’s food security, agricultural scientific development and world food supply. Summarize in one sentence-let more people eat up.
He compares rice to nuclear weapons, and his opponent is starvation. He won.
▲ On August 19, 2013, Yuan Longping checked the growth of rice in the fourth phase of Yuan Longping’s super rice research demonstration in Liande Village, Huangguan Town, Guanyang County, Guilin City, Guangxi Province. Photo by Lu Boan
success from failure
To some extent, Yuan Longping’s success was picked out of failure.
The phenomenon of rice heterosis is not the earliest discovery and research in my country. As early as the 1920s, Americans discovered the phenomenon of male sterility in rice. However, research in almost all countries only stays at the theoretical level. After repeated experiments failed, rice is a self-pollinated crop with no heterosis. There was little doubt at the time.
It was against this background that in the 1960s, after discovering that natural hybrid rice plants showed obvious hybridization vigour, Yuan Longping, a former general teacher at Hunan Anjiang Agricultural School, began his research.
He put forward the idea of ”utilizing the heterosis of rice, and firstly using the male sterility of rice”, and designed a whole set of breeding programs for hybrid rice, that is, cultivating sterile lines, maintainer lines and restorer lines, and then The production of hybrid rice will be completed through the “three-line” supporting system.
According to this idea, Yuan Longping found a natural male sterile plant in 1964. Two years later, he published the famous “Male Sterility of Rice”, which laid the foundation for the development of hybrid rice.
But scientific research is not going well. The “three series” supporting efforts failed in the first eight years. Yuan Longping remembered that until 1972, two years after the discovery of the “wild defeat”, which was regarded as a breakthrough in research, there were still people who questioned or even opposed his hybrid rice cultivation plan.
On one occasion, the hybrid rice was checked and accepted. Not only did the rice yield not increase, but the rice straw increased by nearly 70%. The breeze spread. Some people say that it’s a pity that people don’t eat grass, and people want to eat grass. Your hybrid rice has a bright future.
Yuan Longping was silent. He chased the sun like a migratory bird, carrying bacon enough to eat for several months, and transferred to the train for several days to go to Yunnan, Hainan, Guangdong and other places, just to find suitable sunshine conditions. He almost lives in the breeding base, unloads a door panel, spreads a straw mat, hangs a mosquito net, and sleeps with local farmers. When the two sons were born, he was not in the delivery room, but in the rice fields.
In 1973, at the second national hybrid rice scientific research collaboration meeting, Yuan Longping officially announced the success of the “three-line” indica hybrid rice, which was the first in the world to bred a strong hybrid rice.
But the test came again. After the success of the three-line method, my country soon started the research on the two-line hybrid breeding technology, led by Yuan Longping. Unexpectedly, less than two years after the start-up, I would suffer a blow. An abnormally low temperature caused widespread failure of two-line breeding across the country. For a time, many people in the scientific research community “badged” two-line breeding, and the research was even abandoned by related units and some scientific researchers.
Yuan Longping and important members of the National Indica Hybrid Rice Scientific Research Collaboration Group underwent tremendous pressure to re-study the light and temperature sensitive characteristics of the two-line sterile line, and finally found a solution to bring the two-line method back to life and once again become the world’s crop breeding history. Major breakthrough.
Question, failure, frustration. In Yuan Longping’s hybrid rice research career, this is the norm. His research was opposed by the academic authority at the time, the experimental field was maliciously destroyed, and many times encountered production cuts and no harvests.
But he never wanted to chew the bitterness of failure. “How can scientific research not fail? If you fail, you will fail. It doesn’t mean that you are ruined and people will not laugh at you. I am exploring. I fall and I fall. I will get up and do it again.” Yuan Longping Say.
This is not a blind insistence. Hybrid rice is a combination of sterile lines, maintainer lines and restorer lines. To a certain extent, it is also cultivated through innovation, direction and perseverance.
Yuan Longping often reminds students that to engage in scientific research, we must first look at the general direction. If it is correct and can be achieved through hard work, it should be persisted. “Don’t be afraid of cynicism and sarcasm when doing scientific research, and don’t be afraid that others will say you are unconventional. If you are always superstitious about this and that, afraid of this and afraid of that, you can always follow others. Only if you dare to think, dare and persist, can you be a leader in technological innovation. .”
Wu Jun, deputy director of the State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, told the reporter of “Liaowang” Newsweek: “He is good at finding the positive side in failure.” When tackling the three-line method, some people said that there is more straw than rice, but Yuan Longping believes that, This just proves that rice has a strong hybridization advantage, and the performance of the advantage in the straw is only a technical problem and can be improved.
Li Li, a researcher at the Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center and a doctoral student of Yuan Longping, was impressed by the teacher’s patience. In the first six years of researching the third-generation hybrid rice, progress was slow, and Li Li and team members were sometimes embarrassed to report. Every time a group meeting is held, Yuan Longping personally goes to the site to give guidance. Even if there is not much progress, he will continue to encourage everyone, “One success in 100 experiments is good.”
Only in the experimental field can rice be grown
In September 2019, the night before the awarding ceremony of the National Medal and National Honorary Title, Yuan Longping was still thinking about the rice in the experimental field. “When I go to bed at night, I think about how my super rice looks like.”
A few days ago, when news came that he was awarded the Medal of the Republic, he was checking the seed production of the third-generation hybrid rice in the experimental field, and praised the flowers for “well blooming.”
Before setting off to Beijing, he deliberately said “goodbye” to Super Rice. After attending the awarding ceremony, he will return to Hunan that day, because “tomorrow will go to the fields again.”
From the beginning of the work, as long as there is rice in the field, he will go to the field every day. “The more thunder, strong winds, and heavy rains, the more you have to go to the fields to see if the seedlings fall down, and see which varieties can withstand several levels of wind.”
Yuan Longping once summarized the “secret” of his success: knowledge, sweat, inspiration, and opportunity. Someone asked him, which is the most important? The scientist who considers himself a farmer said “sweat and practice”, “Books are very important, and computers are also very important. But books can’t grow rice, and computers can’t grow rice. Rice can only be grown in experimental fields.” br>
Earlier, people often saw him walking barefoot in school because it was convenient for him to go to the field. Later, when the conditions were good, he had a car with a pair of rain boots for going down the field all year round. A few years ago, people often saw this academician driving a car slowly towards the test field, thinking with his hips on the ridge. Once, he told people around him: “I like drag racing.”
Later, the movement was not so convenient. The Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences arranged an experimental field next to his residence, and the rice field could be seen in full view, even “you can see it when you lie down on the bed.” When he gets up every morning, the first thing he does is not to eat, but to Shimoda. If you are satisfied, don’t “trouble” the assistant, otherwise, the assistant’s phone will ring on time.
This person who is said to love freedom and proficiency feels that doing scientific research requires working hard and not afraid of hardship. This is a basic skill.
“He is very careful in his work.” Wu Jun said, especially for major scientific research projects, from seed production, sowing, cultivation, to water and fertilizer management, and field management. He cares about every detail. When measuring the yield, he has to keep track of the number of ears per plant and the number of grains on each ear. He is very sensitive to numbers. After the data is reported, the output will be calculated soon.
Li Li always remembered an English sentence written by her teacher Yuan Longping: Take serious things lightly, Do ordinary things seriously. The translation is: if you lift the weight lightly, you must do everything yourself.
She thinks that the teacher Yuan Longping is like this.
A few years ago, during the third-generation hybrid rice research, no matter how hot, far, or off the road, Yuan Longping had to go to the fields to see. “We told him not to go, but he must go to see.” The farthest rice field is more than 20 kilometers away. The ridge is narrow and slippery. The colleagues of the institute laid planks on it in advance, and one person is under the ridge. Support him.
The day before the production test of the late rice varieties of the third-generation hybrid rice this year, everyone was nervous, but Yuan Longping watched the annual central air volleyball match in the gymnasium. He cheered, applauded, and gave a thumbs up-after watching the baby rice for so many years, that day, he was a little relieved.
Sprint “Dream of Chilling under Hexia”
Even if new breakthroughs continue, no one thinks Yuan Longping will pause for a while.
As more than 40 years ago, in the praise of the successful development of three-line hybrid rice, he quickly proposed the more difficult development of two-line hybrid rice.
Later, the two-line hybrid rice was successfully developed and multi-stage super rice varieties were cultivated. He also proposed to study the third-generation hybrid rice technology that has the advantages of the three-line method and the two-line method.
Xie Fangming, a researcher at the International Rice Research Institute, said that China’s hybrid rice has always been a global leader and has absolute advantages in scientific research, production and promotion. Chinese hybrid rice has achieved technological leaps time and time again. The main reason and key is Yuan Longping.
A reporter once asked Yuan Longping, “You can eat three-line hybrid rice for a lifetime. Why do you want to lead the next research?”
“I always feel dissatisfied. I do scientific research and constantly want to climb the top.” He replied.
In 2014, the fourth phase of China’s super rice production of 1,000 kilograms per mu was successful, setting a world record. He was not satisfied and proposed to break through the theoretical limit of rice production that some international rice experts believe-15.9 tons per hectare. , Reaching 16 tons per hectare(about 1066 kg per mu). As a result, without waiting for completion, he againWith a new idea, he said that he was “very satisfied but not satisfied” with the 16-ton target, and “I will continue to attack 17 tons and 18 tons per hectare.” After the 18-ton target was reached, in June last year, Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center posted a “Scientific Research Task Notice” autographed by Yuan Longping, and put forward three goals. The first one is to sprint the “Dream of Hexia” and continue to consolidate. The target of a yield of 18 tons per hectare.
Yuan Longping once described himself as a person who is greedy for money, “Millionaires want tens of millions, and multi-millionaires want billions. I am greedy for production. When it reaches 700 kilograms, I greet 800 kilograms. The kilogram to 1,100 kilograms, and finally 1,200 kilograms, 18 tons, is not satisfied, because this is a meaningful thing.”
He feels that one of this motivation is from a scientific point of view, it has potential and is a development direction, and the other, personally, “always feels that this is called old man and has ambition.”
This “ambition” will be revealed at every inadvertent moment.
He doesn’t like being called “Old Yuan” respectfully, but prefers to be called “Ms. Yuan”. In an interview with “Lookout” Newsweek 12 years ago, he said that he was “70 years old, 50 years old, 30 years old, and 20 years old.” I was interviewed a few years ago and “bragged” that the center was engaged in swimming competitions at the age of 80 and that he won the first place. After his 90th birthday, he changed his words as a “post-90s.”
Wu Jun used “passion” to describe the 90-year-old academician, which is one of the reasons why he is still struggling in the front line of scientific research. “He is very dedicated and passionate in everything he does.”
He loves swimming, playing cards, playing the violin and tap dancing. In Li Li’s words: “We disciples’ scientific research, swimming, air volleyball and even the cooking skills of tomato scrambled eggs are all brought out by him.”
At the age of 86, he had to show his hands on the volleyball court. In the previous years, he played the whole court. His style of play is “relatively stable”, the position on the court is undoubtedly the main attacker, his team is always the first.
“Whether he is on the court or off the court, he is very involved and enjoys it.” Wu Jun said that he has not been able to play the ball in the past few years, so he will cheer off the court. Whoever plays well will applaud loudly. To which one played (Changsha dialect, which means to do something wrong), “He was on the court and laughed.”
whileThe experience of the students is that Yuan Longping is not required to sign when watching football, he is not available.
Tighten application-oriented strings
Wu Jun still remembers a “call” when the State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice was established not long ago.
At that time, molecular breeding technology was still being explored, and all the results were bred through conventional breeding. At a meeting, Yuan Longping publicly “reminded” Wu Jun and his colleagues: “Your molecular technology still contributes zero to breeding.”
“Writing the paper on the ground, his attitude is very determined.” Wu Jun said that the State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice where he works is mainly based on basic research, but “Ms. Yuan’s requirement for us is that it must be a new variety. service”.
Yuan Longping has always emphasized that the rice major is an applied science, and he has taken the country’s needs as a scientific research guide. Under his leadership, the entire team tightened the application-oriented string. “We can have a variety of technical means, including the use of molecular breeding techniques and other modern technical means, but the starting point of all work is to solve production problems.” Wu Jun said.
The American “Christian Science Monitor” wrote: “Rice, in Chinese, is not just a name. According to Yuan Longping, the father of high-yield rice, the word has only one important meaning: life.”
Yuan Longping, who has been hungry and witnessed hungry passing by, regards holding his job as more important than anything else. He still remembered that in the 1960s, someone wanted to buy a catty of food stamps with the largest value of 10 yuan on the market at the time, but they couldn’t buy it. “You can’t fill your stomach with money!”
“Save the hunger.” he wrote.
Therefore, in the 1950s, due to the country’s food shortage, the young Yuan Longping switched from sweet potato breeding research and teaching to the country’s most needed rice breeding research. Therefore, this scientist, respected by farmers as the “Rice Bodhisattva”, always has a unique way of expressing scientific research results-every technological breakthrough and the promotion of every acre of hybrid rice will be converted by him, and can How many more people can be supported.
In recent years, some people have proposed that the yield of hybrid rice is already very high, should it be necessary to adjust the indicators and lower the yield standard. Those were the few tantrums that Yuan Longping rarely experienced in Wu Jun’s impression. “He firmly disagrees. He said that when there is no food to eat, two gold ingots can’t buy a steamed bun.” He demanded that other traits must be improved while maintaining the production target.
He emphasized on various occasions that hybrid rice must be both high-yield and high-quality, but there is a prerequisite, not to seek high-quality at the expense of yield. What he is more willing to see is to continue to expand the area of hybrid rice cultivation and promote sea rice, not only in China, but also in the world.
The 90-year-old academician is still running towards his two well-known dreams: the dream of enjoying the cool weather in Hexia and the dream of covering the world with hybrid rice. He really had such a dream. In the dream, the rice grows as high as sorghum, the ears are as long as a broom, and the grains are as big as peanuts. Yuan Longping and his assistant sit under the ears of rice to enjoy the cool. “In fact, the essence of my dream is the dream of high yield of rice. Let people eat more rice and never have to go hungry again.”
He believes that these dreams are not just dreams. “With the help of scientific and technological progress, China can completely solve its own food problem, and it can also help the people of the world solve the food problem.”
Unsurprisingly, the day after the double-season hybrid rice yield exceeded 1500 kg per mu, on November 3, 2020, at the press conference of the Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center, Yuan Longping put forward two new short-term “small “Goal”: One is to strive to achieve a double-season hybrid rice yield of 2,000 kg per mu as soon as possible, and the other is to upgrade the currently implemented “Three Ones Project” to the “Two Ones Project.”
In Yuan Longping’s words, the translation means: feeding one person three-parts becomes feeding one two-parts. That’s more.
This article is from WeChat official account:Liaowang (ID: OutlookWeekly1981), published in “Liaowang” Issue 49, 2020, author: Xu Oulu