High-Yield Early-Maturing Rapeseed Nears Harvest in Shuangfeng, Hunan

Nearly 30,000 mu of triple-cropping rapeseed in Shuangfeng County, Hunan Province, is on the verge of harvest, marking a promising outcome for the local oilseed industry. On April 26, experts organized by the Hunan Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs conducted an on-site appraisal at a demonstration plot of the extra-early-maturing rapeseed variety "Zhongyouzao No.1" in Zimenqiao Town. The results showed that the variety, harvested by a one-time combined machine, achieved a per mu yield of 175.63 kilograms with a total growth period of only 171 days. 

Supported by major scientific and technological projects of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), the team led by Academician Wang Hanzhong from the Oil Crops Research Institute of CAAS has carried out technological research targeting rice-oil multiple-cropping areas. They have cultivated new extra-early-maturing rapeseed varieties such as "Zhongyouzao No.1", which boasts prominent early maturity, high yield and strong comprehensive resistance. Xinhua News Agency reported that in the southern early-maturing rapeseed variety test, the average total growth period of "Zhongyouzao No.1" stands at 173.6 days, with an oil content as high as 44.37%. 

In 2025, the variety was planted in a contiguous area of 1,000 mu in Suichuan County, Jiangxi Province, with an actual measured per mu yield of 177.65 kilograms. This figure set a new record for rapeseed yield under China’s "rice-rice-oil" triple-cropping model, and the variety was included in the 2025 National Promotion Catalog of Fine Crop Varieties, People’s Daily Online reported. 

He Lean, Deputy Director of the Shuangfeng County Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, noted that Shuangfeng is a national demonstration county for increasing the per unit yield of rapeseed on a large scale. The county Party committee and government attach great importance to the development of the rapeseed industry and have developed triple-cropping and double-cropping rapeseed production in light of local conditions. Since the promotion and application of extra-early-maturing varieties such as "Zhongyouzao No.1", the planting area of triple-cropping rapeseed in the county has continued to expand. The average per unit yield in the core demonstration area has increased by more than 40 kilograms compared with previous years, which not only improves land use efficiency but also increases farmers’ income. 

Hu Yonggui, a local large-scale grower, shared his experience: "In the past, due to the relatively long growth period of rapeseed varieties, the harvest affected the sowing of early rice, leaving the cultivated land idle in winter after the harvest of late rice. However, ‘Zhongyouzao No.1’ has a short growth period and high yield, which does not affect the transplanting of early rice. It is an excellent variety." 

Guangming Net pointed out that rapeseed is China’s largest oil crop, accounting for half of the output of domestic oil crops. Promoting short-growth-period rapeseed varieties like "Zhongyouzao No.1" is of great significance for ensuring national edible oil supply security and boosting rural revitalization.