About half of the world's population depends on rice as a staple food, and rice is the third largest food crop in terms of production, feeding countless human beings. Chinese prefer rice. As early as six or seven thousand years ago, during the Hemudu period, people began to cultivate rice.
In order to increase rice production, Academician Yuan Longping has cultivated farmland for decades and developed a "hybrid rice" that shocked China and foreign countries, so that the people of the whole country can eat enough.
In fact, in addition to Mr. Yuan, there are many other agricultural scholars who work day and night to research and improve rice varieties.
Now, a newly developed new type of bamboo rice has entered the market, which can be sold for 20 yuan per catty, which is six times more expensive than ordinary rice. So, what's so special about bamboo rice? How do they hybridize?
01.Hsinchu rice is listed for 20 yuan a catty.
Rice is cultivated in many places in the north and south of China, and even the cold northeast region is also the main rice producing area. Rice is familiar to everyone. Its height is generally 05-1 meter.
But bamboo rice is different. It can reach a height of about 2 meters, which is taller than an adult. If you see bamboo rice for the first time, you will definitely be shocked.
The leaves of bamboo rice are all green, and the rice stalks are hard to the touch, just like bamboo.
Nowadays, bamboo rice products are sold in many large supermarkets, but they are too high, which discourages many people. But there are still some people who will buy some to take home to try and enjoy their unique taste.
So, what are the advantages of bamboo rice over ordinary rice, and why can it be sold for 20 yuan a catty?
1. Strong lodging resistance.
It is well known that the higher the rice, the worse its lodging resistance. When planting rice, many farmers worry about applying too much fertilizer, which will cause the rice to grow easily and lodging. Especially in the event of heavy rains, all the rice in the farmland may collapse overnight.
Once the lodging of rice occurs, it will not be able to continue to grow upward, and the yield will inevitably suffer a huge loss.
But bamboo rice has no such concerns. Although it is relatively tall, its root system can take root about 1 meter underground, and the roots are very hard enough to firmly grasp the tall body.
At the same time, bamboo and rice stalks are relatively tough, and it is difficult to break even in the face of strong wind and rain. In this way, farmers do not suffer much in extreme weather.
In 2022, due to the increase in typhoons in the south, many major rice-producing areas were severely affected, resulting in a serious reduction in yield. The land that can be planted with bamboo and rice has not suffered much loss, and the yield per mu can still reach more than 1,000 kilograms.
2.Let's taste the nutrition.
The average yield of rice per mu in China is 950 kg, and the high yield can reach more than 1500 kg. However, the yield of bamboo rice is not low, with an average yield of more than 1,000 kg per mu.
Some people wonder why bamboo rice can be sold for so much money since the production of bamboo rice is so high. In fact, this involves the unique taste and nutrition of bamboo rice.
According to research, bamboo rice particles are slender, crystal clear, soft and elastic, sweet but not greasy, and have a natural bamboo fragrance. Whether it's used to cook porridge or rice, it's delicious. After chewing carefully, the aftertaste is endless. The best of the best.
In addition to having all the nutrients of ordinary rice, bamboo rice is also rich in magnesium, potassium, calcium, and other elements. The most important thing is that it is rich in antibacterial and antioxidant ingredients such as bamboo leaf flavonoids and bamboo leaf polyphenols, which can ensure that the rice tastes excellent when eaten, and it is not easy to become hard and spoiled even after the rice is cooled, and the taste of the rice is very good. The taste is still the same as before.
This characteristic makes bamboo rice the main choice for food ingredients such as fast food and glutinous rice balls. Due to its antibacterial and antioxidant properties, it can also be used in the production of health foods, making it the first choice for diabetics.
The plant protein content in bamboo rice is as high as 101-11.4%。Such a high content makes its nutritional function even higher.
Due to its excellent variety and good taste, Japan imports a large amount of bamboo rice every year. After all, Japanese people love to eat rice balls, and bamboo-flavored bamboo rice is highly regarded by Japanese foodies.
3. Drought tolerant and insect resistant.
From sowing to harvesting, rice needs to be sprayed with pesticides many times to better eliminate pests and diseases and ensure better growth of rice. But bamboo rice is different. Because it has very strong antibacterial properties, it can resist pests and diseases on its own. As a result, bamboo rice rarely needs to be sprayed. For farmers, pesticide costs can be saved. For foodies, this is a matter of course. Green foods taste healthier.
Bamboo rice also inherits the drought-tolerant properties of bamboo. Even in dry soil, bamboo rice is still able to grow well, so it is not difficult to grow bamboo rice in areas with harsh conditions.
It is understood that the yield of bamboo rice per mu is about 980-1100 kg, which can bring sufficient economic benefits to farmers.
It is understood that the yield of bamboo rice per mu in Jiangxi, Zhejiang and other places is three times that of ordinary rice. An acre of land can earn an extra two or three thousand yuan. People can get rich by growing rice.
02.Can bamboo and rice be hybridized?
Seeing this, many people are curious, can bamboo and rice be hybridized? Who put it all together?
Bamboo and rice don't seem to have any connection, after all, they are very different in height and shape. In fact, they are all gramineous crops, and bamboo can also grow "bamboo rice", but few people see it. After all, bamboo only blooms once every 50 to 100 years, and it dies after flowering and fruiting, so bamboo rice is very rare.
It is precisely because bamboo and rice are closely related that there is no reproductive isolation between them, so they can be closely integrated.
The researcher of bamboo rice is Zhong Zhangmei, the "father of bamboo rice".
Zhong Zhangmei worked at the Haifeng County Agricultural Science Institute as early as 1959, and in his work, he found a piece of emerald bamboo. The entire process of these bamboos from flowering, fruiting, and death is very similar to that of rice.
This gave Zhong Zhangmei a bold idea. Since the life process of bamboo is so similar to that of rice, can the two be hybridized?
Zhong Zhangmei found that green bamboo and rice have 12 pairs of chromosomes, which can theoretically be combined. However, although they are both grasses, they do not belong to the same genus. The combination of the two can only be regarded as a distant combination, and it is very difficult. Once there is a mistake in the combination process, it is impossible to breed good bamboo rice.
Zhong Zhangmei came up with the bold idea of planting bamboo and hundreds of varieties of rice together to pollinate each other. After countless combination experiments, she finally discovered three unique-looking bamboo and rice seeds from tens of thousands of seeds.
Zhong Zhangmei was excited to plant it in the farmland, taking good care of it during the period. However, during the harvest season, only one seed survived. After 736 days of careful care, by the time of harvest, the bamboo rice had grown 25 meters. height, harvesting 136 seeds.
Although the number is small, it confirms Zhong's suspicion that bamboo and rice can be hybridized.
After that, Zhong Zhangmei decided to devote herself to bamboo rice research. Without any scientific research funding support, he chose to retire early and study quietly.
Zhong Lao's efforts were supported by Jin Shanbao, president of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and with the participation of partners, bamboo rice research has progressed rapidly. In 1998, he successfully cultivated the first batch of bamboo rice, freeing himself from the restriction of bamboo rice flowering and fruiting in one or two years. to lay the foundation for farmers to plant.
In 2007, Zhong Zhangmei cultivated "Zhudao 996" and "Zhudao 989" through repeated backcrossing and recrossing. Its high yield and short flowering period have been well received by the market. Subsequently, the Meizhou Science and Technology Bureau officially approved the listing of bamboo rice, and since then it has been planted in some areas.
03.There are also some drawbacks to bamboo rice.
It stands to reason that bamboo rice is expensive, and the yield is not low. Why is it not as popular as hybrid rice in the country?
In fact, bamboo rice also has disadvantages. The cultivation process of bamboo rice is more complicated. Once pollen transfer fails, it can lead to hybridization failure. This also results in the fact that the offspring of bamboo and rice hybrids may have difficulty producing normal pollen and seeds, and may even be sterile.
Due to the chance of sterility of bamboo rice, many farmers do not dare to plant bamboo rice easily for fear of stepping on thunder. Therefore, the production cost of bamboo rice is higher, and it is naturally more expensive.
Secondly, most bamboo rice has a soft and glutinous taste, but there are also some bamboo rice that does not taste very good, just like eating bran. The main reason for this phenomenon is that the hybrid offspring have the shape of both parents, which will cause the taste of bamboo rice to be uneven.
Once consumers buy bamboo rice with a bad taste, they will naturally not continue to buy it. Because of this, its market adoption has been relatively slow.
In addition, green bamboo only blooms once every 50-100 years. It is not easy for researchers to cultivate bamboo and rice. This also makes the update of bamboo rice varieties slow, unable to meet the taste needs of different groups of people in the market, and unable to meet the taste needs of different groups of people in the market. Build a brand.
At present, bamboo rice is still in an embarrassing situation and does not have a strong brand influence. People still think that it is just a brand of ordinary rice, and it is **expensive, and the market response is not high.
Ordinary rice has many uses and can be used for brewing, breeding, or other food processing, but no one chooses bamboo rice, which makes the market for bamboo rice relatively monolithic.
Bamboo and straw are harder and have deeper roots, which also makes harvesting more difficult and impossible to handle manually. The cost of mechanization is too high, and everyone's willingness to plant will naturally be greatly reduced.
However, the development of the hybrid of bamboo and rice has not been easy to develop to this day. Now in his 80s, Mr. Zhong still often goes to the field to experiment, trying to cultivate better bamboo rice, reduce the difficulty of planting, increase yield, and stabilize the taste.
It is believed that with the continuous research of Mr. Zhong and other scientific researchers, the characteristics of bamboo rice will be stabilized in the future and can be better promoted in the market. I also hope that there will be more Mr. Yuan and Mr. Zhong in our country to contribute to the food security of the country's 1.4 billion people.