Self-Cloning Rice Breakthrough Promises Cheaper Harvests

Chinese scientists have created self-cloning hybrid rice that allows farmers to replant high-yield seeds without loss of performance, cutting seed costs by up to 99% and boosting food security.

“This marks the first successful move from zero to one in apomictic hybrid rice,” said Wang Kejian, chief scientist at the China National Rice Research Institute.

The new “one-line” rice system reproduces clonally through seeds with 99.7% genetic fidelity, preserving yield and quality across generations. Field trials achieved seed-setting rates of 74.3%, matching those of conventional hybrids, while reducing seed prices from 20–100 yuan per 500 grams to as low as 2–5 yuan. With six varieties now under testing, the innovation could make high-performance rice affordable for small farmers worldwide and, if widely adopted, help double global rice production over time.