China Boosts Rapeseed Yields with New Variety to Cut Oil Import Reliance

China’s current dependence on imported edible vegetable oil reaches 70%, with highly concentrated import sources, posing risks to supply security. Rapeseed is China’s largest oilseed crop, and the Central Government’s No. 1 Document has repeatedly outlined measures to expand its cultivation. The Yangtze River Basin and southern double-cropping rice regions, rich in light and temperature resources, can utilize the winter fallow period of rice fields for planting short-growth-cycle rapeseed. Developing multiple-cropping systems for rice and rapeseed oil production is recognized as a key strategy to increase grain and oil supplies.

On April 23, news from the National Field Conference on Comprehensive Models for Large-Scale Rapeseed Yield Enhancement Technology and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences’ Key Task Promotion Conference reported a breakthrough. On a 400-hectare demonstration field in Suichuan, Jiangxi Province, using a triple-cropping “rice-rice-rapeseed” system, a new short-growth-cycle rapeseed variety, “Zhongyou Zao (Early) No. 1,” developed by Academician Wang Hanzhong’s team at the Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, achieved a yield record. After on-site evaluation by experts organized by the Jiangxi Agricultural Technology Extension Center, the mechanized harvest yield reached 177.65 kg per mu (1 mu = 0.06 ha), setting a national record for rapeseed yield per mu in a triple-cropping system, according to the National Agricultural Technology Extension Center.

Wang Xingfa, deputy director of the Oil Crops Research Institute, noted that China currently lacks high-yield, short-growth-cycle rapeseed varieties. Mechanization in multiple-cropping models is low, and existing*** is noticeable. Existing early-maturing rapeseed varieties face a conflict between growth period and yield, typically requiring over 180 days, making harvest by late April challenging, with generally low yields, complicating profit assurance.

Traditional rapeseed varieties, with long growth cycles, are poorly suited for rotation in southern double-cropping rice regions, leaving many fields fallow in winter. “Zhongyou Early No. 1,” maturing in just 170 days, enables seamless “rice-rice-rapeseed” rotation south of 27°N latitude, effectively extending the winter crop season. This variety resolves longstanding rotation challenges in southern rice-growing areas.

Since 2023, “Zhongyou Zao No. 1” has been demonstrated and promoted in major rapeseed-producing provinces in the Yangtze River Basin and southern regions, including Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Guangxi, Fujian, and Yunnan. All demonstration sites successfully transitioned to the “rice-rice-rapeseed” rotation model, with “Zhongyou Zao No. 1” yielding 6.46% higher than the control variety, achieving 44.37% oil content and a 15.61% increase in oil yield per mu, meeting the breeding goals of “early maturity, high yield, and high oil content.”

Ma Ni, a researcher at the Oil Crops Research Institute, explained that the technology behind “Zhongyou Early No. 1” integrates advanced production methods, including high-density precision seeding for robust emergence, scientific irrigation and fertilization for rapid growth after late planting, “one promotion, four preventions” during flowering to enhance stress resistance and stabilize yields, and harvesting with reduced mechanical losses. Demonstration sites have consistently achieved record yields for three consecutive years.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs included “Zhongyou Zao No. 1” in the 2025 National Catalog of Promoted Superior Agricultural Varieties. Large-scale promotion of short-growth-cycle varieties like “Zhongyou Zao No. 1” will transform former winter fallow fields. It is estimated that China has 60 million mu of fallow land usable in winter. At 150 kg per mu and 44% oil content, this could produce 3.96 million tons of high-quality rapeseed oil annually, raising China’s edible oil self-sufficiency from 33.6% to 43%, equivalent to a 30% reduction in import dependency.

Tags: China, rice, rapeseed, edible oils