On the afternoon of June 8, the High-end Crops Forum, as part of series of academic activities for the 120th anniversary of HZAU, opened in the lecture hall of the State Key Laboratory. Xie Fangming, Vice President of Yuan Longping Agricultural Hi-Tech Co., Ltd., was invited to give a report on the current application, promotion and problems of hybrid rice in the world.
Xie Fangming has been engaged in the research and breeding of hybrid rice for years. He has cultivated and promoted a number of hybrid rice varieties, such as XL6, as the first person in charge. He detailed the planting area of rice and its distribution, especially hybrid rice around the world. Due to the differences in climate, soil and planting environment in different countries, the application of hybrid rice that has been successful in one country may not guarantee its success in another. Experience has been accumulated and great achievements have been made in the internationalization and promotion of hybrid rice in Longping Hi-Tech. At present, localization is the most important principle in the process of internationalization of Longping High-Tech's hybrid rice, including establishing breeding research and development stations abroad, making full use of excellent local parental resources and domestic genetic resources, integrating personnel both at home and abroad, and developing proper hybrid rice production and marketing strategies according to local situations. Xie also talked about the two major challenges faced by hybrid rice breeding in Southeast Asian countries: relatively low heterosis and urgent need for technology improvement. In response to these challenges, Xie put forward his solutions: making full use of local planting resources, combining it with the origin and evolution of rice to explore the heterotic groups of rice suitable for the above areas, hence significantly increasing the heterosis of rice.

After the report, Xie answered questions raised by the teachers and students in detail. When it comes to the talent demand of Longping Hi-Tech in overseas breeding, he pointed out that proficient English is a prime requirement for addressing most of overseas work which is innovative because it is a must for overseas living; in addition, comprehensive professional competence, good communication and organization skills, and excellent leadership skills are all necessary for success in overseas work. Finally, Xie expressed his welcome for graduates of HZAU to work in Longping Hi-Tech.