In 1964 a Chinese rice breeder, Yuan Longping, discovered a rice plant that was the genetic key to the successful development of high yielding hybrid rice. At that time, China was a secretive communist state where self pollinating varietal rice was grown on collective farms using highly labor intensive practices. Forty years later, by 2004, hybrid rice, based on Yuan's work, was being grown commercially in the United States using mechanized farming practices. This book describes the journey across those four decades and the chain of events and people which resulted in technical success in China by 1976 and in the United States by 2000. Extraordinary political and technological developments occurred during this time and the book describes these and the many serendipitous events and people of different backgrounds that were involved in the successful journey. It is estimated that hybrid rice is now (2017) saving the US rice industry as much as $100 million each year.

This book sets out a framework for determining the value and economic viability of a rice hybrid. The book is written for hybrid rice breeders, farmers, millers, seed producers and the managers of hybrid rice development programs. The methodology provides insight into the key factors that drive hybrid value. The economic model is accompanied by tabular and graphical displays that allow the results to be visualized and understood. The model allows global comparisons to be made between countries and regions where hybrid rice is grown.