AI-powered hybrid rice breeding platform launched in Hunan

A new intelligent breeding platform for hybrid rice has been launched in Changsha, Central China's Hunan province, marking a shift toward data-driven and AI-assisted breeding in one of China's key rice-producing regions.

Named "Yuandao Siyuan" in honor of hybrid rice cultivator Yuan Longping, the platform was developed by the Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences (HAAS) in collaboration with the Institute of Automation under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

The platform is part of China's broader initiative to modernize seed breeding through digital and intelligent technologies, according to Yu Yinghong, president of HAAS.