Memorial service for 'father of hybrid rice'

The burial ceremony of the late academician Yuan Longping is held in Changsha, Hunan province, on Nov 15.

Photo by Zhou Lin      The burial ceremony of the late academician Yuan Longping was held in Changsha, Hunan province, on Monday. Yuan's family, colleagues, and students attended the memorial service, which was organized by the Hunan Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

Yuan, known as the "father of hybrid rice", died of organ failure at 91 in Changsha on May 22. The high-yield hybrid rice strains he developed have helped alleviate famine and poverty around the world.

Hybrid rice has been extensively planted in Vietnam, India and Brazil, where it achieves per hectare yields two metric tons higher than local varieties.