On May 10th, in the ten-thousand-mu rapeseed demonstration field located in Changming Village, Sanchahe Town, Anxiang County, Hunan Province, a yield assessment working group composed of industry experts from research and extension departments in Hubei, Hunan, Zhejiang, and other regions conducted an on-site evaluation. The evaluation focused on the progress made in large-scale rapeseed yield per unit area improvement in Anxiang County, supported by scientific and technological inputs from the Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (OCRI-CAAS). The machine-harvested average yield per unit area reached 228.12 kilograms per mu (approximately 3,422 kg/hectare), setting a new record for machine-harvested rapeseed yield per unit area in a ten-thousand-mu demonstration area within the Yangtze River. This yield represents an increase of over 50% compared to the national average rapeseed yield per unit area.

Anxiang County, situated within the core area of the Dongting Lake Ecological Economic Zone and ranked among China's top 100 oilseed-producing counties, consistently plants over 600,000 mu (approx. 40,000 hectares) of rapeseed annually. In recent years, actively implementing the requirements of  China's No. 1 Central Document to "advance large-scale yield per unit area improvement actions for grain and oil crops," Anxiang County has prioritized technological empowerment for industrial development. The county proactively identified and communicated its goals for increasing rapeseed yield per unit area, expanding planting acreage, and boosting economic returns, establishing connections with research institutions.To bridge the "last mile" for the application of scientific and technological achievements and support high-quality regional industrial development, OCRI-CAAS and Anxiang County signed a "Technology-Assisted County" cooperation agreement in September 2024. OCRI-CAAS's rapeseed cultivation technical model developed by OCRI-CAAS was optimized and applied on-site to create the "Anxiang Model" for large-scale rapeseed yield per unit area improvement and industrial quality and efficiency enhancement. Based on the new rapeseed variety "Zhongyouza 501" with dense tolerance, high yield, high oil content, and multi-resistance, this model integrates supporting technologies such as high-density mechanized combined precision sowing, full-nutrition slow-release formula fertilization for rapeseed, precise chemical regulation to control excessive growth and promote robust plants, green comprehensive disaster prevention and mitigation strategies, and mechanical harvesting technology. It transforms scientific and technological potential into tangible yield per unit area gains and scales up high-yield per unit area results from small plots to large-scale production, contributing scientific and technological strength to safeguarding national edible oil security, which has been unanimously praised by the participating representatives.

Researcher Ma Ni, Chief Scientist of OCRI-CAAS's Oil Crop Nutrition and Cultivation Innovation Team, explained that since the launch of the "Technology-Assisted County" project, the team has developed a tailored demonstration model construction plan for Anxiang County to increase rapeseed yield per unit area, specifically addressing the county’s limiting factors. Expert teams were dispatched to the frontline to conduct technical training and guidance, resolving critical challenges such as achieving full stand establishment after direct seeding in paddy fields, disaster prevention and mitigation, and reducing mechanical harvesting yield losses. This comprehensive support has thus effectively underpinned the large-scale improvement in rapeseed yield per unit area across the region. Zeng Xianwen, head of Hongjun Family Farm in Anxiang County,  expressed his satisfaction: "Under the expert team's meticulous guidance, the new varieties, technologies, and models applied at our planting base have been continuously optimized and upgraded. This year's rapeseed harvest is exceptionally bountiful, with both yield per unit area and quality significantly improved. With science and technology as our backbone, we are much more confident about growing rapeseed in the future."

The meeting was attended by notable figures including Li Peiwu, CAE Member (Chinese Academy of Engineering) and Researcher of OCRI-CAAS; Wang Xinfa, Deputy Director of OCRI-CAAS; as well as over 100 participants comprising leading experts from the National Agricultural Technology Extension and Service Center, Hunan Seed Management Service Station, Hunan Agricultural Technology Extension Station, Anxiang County Party Committee and County Government, and enterprise representatives.