Tue, 21-Oct-2025

The spice of life

Shahzad Ali Malik

LAHORE: After successful launch of hybrid coarse rice and field trials of hybrid basmati, Guard Agriculture Research and Services has developed hybrid wheat seed having potential of increasing yield by 40 per cent, compared with the conventional varieties. “Guard is the pioneer in introducing hybrid coarse rice. In collaboration with the Chinese scientists, we developed … Read more

Yuan Longping, the father of hybrid rice, develops a new variety in 2011

Chinese scientist Yuan Longping (1930–2021), known as the “Father of hybrid rice”, is the most famous researcher on hybrid rice. In the 60s, he made his seminal discovery of the genetic basis of heterosis in rice. This was a unique discovery because it had been previously thought that heterosis was not possible for self-pollinating crops … Read more