Pakistan’s first Honglian hybrid rice variety, PU-786, jointly developed by Punjab University (PU) and Wuhan University of China, has emerged as a major success story, delivering up to three times higher yields than traditional local varieties during its first full-scale harvest across multiple regions of the country.
The hybrid marks a decade-long collaboration between scientists from PU’s Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics and Wuhan University, and represents a landmark achievement in China-Pakistan agricultural cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
In an exclusive interview with Gwadar Pro on Friday, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ashfaq, Chairman of the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics at PU, said that PU-786 has been successfully harvested in several regions, including Ouch Sharif, Gujranwala, and Larkana.
“Field results of PU786 hybrid rice in Ouch Sharif, Gujranwala, and Larkana have closely matched on the basis of observation (almost 5600 kg/acre) the initial research-stage projections, particularly in terms of yield, disease resistance, and adaptability,” Dr. Ashfaq said. Sharing specific figures from the recent field trials he said, “During the recent harvest yield was estimated 12.3 tons/hectare in Gujranwala location that is three times more than our traditional local varieties.”
PU-786’s resilience to both climatic and biological challenges has been a key factor behind its success. As per Dr. Ashfaq, “According to the two years adaptability trials conducted under the Supervision of Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), PU-786 has resistance against bacterial leaf blight, insect pest resistance and high temperature resistance.”
The response from the farming community has been overwhelmingly positive. “Received very good response from the farmers regarding PU-786 even I received many calls from the farmers from all over the Pakistan for seed request of PU-786. The farmers are very happy and demanding more seeds for next year sowing.”
Encouraged by these results, Punjab University now plans to collaborate with the private sector to expand the cultivation of PU-786 nationwide. “We plan to sign an MoU with a private seed company for further commercialization and marketing of PU-786,” he revealed.
Beyond domestic adoption, the new hybrid also holds strong export potential due to its exceptional yield and quality characteristics. “I believe that PU-786 variety have the great potential (based upon yield and other quality parameters) to market it locally and internationally,” Dr. Ashfaq said. “China is also a big importer of this variety. We can also export the seeds to African countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Algeria, and South Africa, as well as to South and Southeast Asian nations including the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Thailand.”
Looking ahead, new research initiatives are already underway with Chinese partners to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in agricultural science. “Yes, we are working on it for the promotion of Honglian hybrid rice varieties in Pakistan. We have a plan to establish Joint Hybrid rice research Centre in Pakistan,” Dr. Ashfaq said.
Earlier this year, Punjab University announced that PU-786 was the first Honglian hybrid rice variety developed in Pakistan. Approved by PARC, the hybrid is the result of ten years of joint research between PU and Wuhan University. It was specifically bred to achieve higher yields, greater heat and disease resistance, and enhanced export potential.
