How does the rice variety Jingxian 89 perform?

Jingxian 89 is a high-quality rice variety bred by the Foshan Agricultural Science Institute in Guangdong Province by crossing the japonica-indica hybrid progeny 677 with IR36. It took part in the Guangdong provincial regional trials in 1990-1991, with an average yield of 408.2-416.2 kg per mu, an increase of 9.07%-16.55% over the control variety Qishanzhan. In early 1992 it was approved by the Guangdong Provincial Crop Variety Approval Committee and became a variety promoted throughout the province.

This variety has excellent grain quality and high protein content; according to testing by the Rice Quality Supervision and Testing Center of the Ministry of Agriculture, the brown rice rate is 78.9%, the milled rice rate 71.3%, the head rice rate 59.5%, the grain length 6.0 mm, the length-to-width ratio 2.9, the chalkiness rate 9%, the chalkiness degree 1.93%, and the transparency grade one, all reaching the ministry-issued high-quality rice standards; its alkali spreading value is grade 6.1, gel consistency 89 mm, amylose content 27.4%, and protein content 9.53%. In the grain quality appearance grading by the Guangdong Provincial Grain and Oil Product Quality Supervision and Inspection Station, it was graded first class for the early season and special second class for the late season. The cooked rice is white, soft, smooth and tasty, with good flavor.

Jingxian 89 is a temperature-sensitive variety, usable for both early and late seasons; its whole growth period is mainly governed by temperature changes. In the early season in the central part of the province its whole growth period is about 135 days, and it is not suitable for large-scale planting in the early season in the rice-growing areas of northern Guangdong. In the late season in the central region its whole growth period is about 110 days.

Jingxian 89 has a plant height of 98.5-97.3 cm, medium tillering ability and thick, sturdy stems; its coloring at maturity is especially good. This variety is a large-panicle type, with a high grain-to-straw ratio and good yielding ability. The average number of effective panicles per mu is 200,000, the panicle length 20 cm, the total number of grains per panicle 120.8-156.0, of which the filled grains number 101.6-129.8, the seed-setting rate 83.2%-84.1%, the 1000-grain weight 19.7-19.8 g, and the average yield per mu 408.2-416.2 kg.

This variety has strong resistance to pests and diseases: for rice blast, the resistance frequency is 87.5% for group B, 83.3% for group C, and 87.5% for all groups; it is resistant to bacterial leaf blight, rated moderately resistant; and it has a clear controlling effect on brown planthopper populations.

Jingxian 89 is a good rice variety with stable and high yields, strong adaptability and good grain quality. Because it is a distant hybrid variety between subspecies, it will show more or less segregation; when multiplying seed, pay attention to roguing to maintain the relative stability and purity of the variety.