Recently, the Peking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences has made significant progress in popcorn breeding. Their developed variety, Beixin P101, has shown outstanding performance in the 2024 regional variety approval trials in Xinjiang.

According to reports, Beixin P101 outperformed the control group in all six test sites of the popcorn trial group, with an average yield increase of 15.6% and an average yield per mu reaching 640.3 kg, ranking first in both yield increase and production within the same trial group. The regional trials indicated that the growth period of this variety in Xinjiang is 111.3 days, 2.3 days longer than the control group. The lodging rate, head smut rate, smut rate, and stalk rot rate were all 0, demonstrating the variety's excellent disease resistance.

In recent years, the Peking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences has continuously innovated in popcorn breeding technology, successfully creating a super haploid-inducer for popcorn and improving the haploid doubling protocol, providing technical support for speed popcorn breeding. Additionally, they have conducted extensive research on improving popcorn through interspecific hybridization and the exploration and utilization of genes related to popping traits, achieving significant progress and accelerating germplasm innovation and new variety development of popcorn.

As a typical mushroom type popcorn variety, Beixin P101 not only excels in yield but also boasts superior popping quality, and is expected to be introduced to the market in the near future. The outstanding performance of Beixin P101 in the Xinjiang regional variety approval trials marks an important milestone for the Peking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences in the breeding of specialty corn varieties and injects new vitality into the development of China's popcorn industry.

Industry experts believe that the development of Beixin P101 will further enrich the variety choices in China's popcorn market and promote the upgrading and development of related industries. Meanwhile, the advanced breeding technology and innovative approaches of the Peking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences will provide valuable experience and references for corn breeding in China.

A representative from the Peking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences stated that they will continue to invest in specialty corn research, continuously optimize breeding technologies, significantly expand popcorn germplasm resources, and generate more high-quality, high-yield, and stress-tolerant specialty corn varieties. This will contribute to ensuring national food security, promoting the development of the agricultural industry, and increasing farmers' incomes.