China Seed, university researchers uncover new mechanism that boosts rice yield, drought resistance

Recently, a team led by Chen Chao, head of the Life Science and Technology Center at China Seed, in collaboration with professors Li Jinjie and Li Zichao of China Agricultural University, made a major breakthrough in research on the coordinated regulation of drought tolerance and high yield in rice. The team systematically elucidated how the transcription factor OsSPL10 regulates tillering through the auxin signaling pathway and demonstrated that the elite allele OsSPL10T-Hap1 can simultaneously increase tiller numbers and enhance drought tolerance. The findings, published in the internationally renowned journal Plant Communications, provide an important theoretical foundation and valuable genetic resources for breeding new rice varieties that combine drought resilience, yield stability, high productivity, and superior quality.

The study is one of the flagship achievements of a competitive research program jointly conducted by China Seed and the Hainan Seed Industry Laboratory. Since the program began in 2022, China Seed has worked with research teams across the country to address key challenges and emerging priorities in the seed industry. Joint research projects have been launched in major crops including rice, corn, soybeans, and vegetables. To date, the initiative has identified and tested 64 genes, filed 36 patent applications and 23 plant variety rights applications, developed and registered seven new fruit and vegetable varieties, and secured approval for 16 field crop varieties, accelerating the transfer of urgently needed innovations from the laboratory to the field.