Objective Breeding high-quality restorer lines with fragrant characteristics to provide excellent germplasm resources for cultivating new varieties of fragrant and high-quality hybrid rice.

Method A recurrent selective population including a dominant male sterile rice was constructed in 2011 using the Sanming dominant male sterile rice to cross with the blast-resistant restorer Minghui 1101 in hybridization. Progenies of the fertile strains were subjected to directional pedigree selection with their aromatic quality examined by a sensory panel. The selected restorer lines were tested on blast-resistance by natural field induction.

Result A high-quality, aromatic restorer line with excellent general combining ability, Minglunzhenzhan, was obtained in 2016. It won the prestigious Gold Award at the Second National Quality Rice Variety Taste Quality Evaluation (on indica rice) and was certified by Fujian Province Crop Variety Approval Committee in 2019. Subsequently, a series of hybrid varieties, such as Ming 1 You Zhenzhan and Yexiang You Zhenzhan, derived from it exhibited similar characteristic high grain quality and attractive aroma. They all received national and provincial variety approvals. Among them, Ming 1 You Zhenzhan and Yexiang You Zhenzhan were awarded with first prizes at numerous quality evaluation events on rice.

Conclusion Minglunzhenzhan, an aromatic restorer line with excellent grain quality and general combining ability, was successfully bred to become a new market-demanding rice as well as a restorer line for further breeding.