Yudai 21 is the first good-tasting paddy rice variety produced by a national university and an original rice variety born in Utsunomiya University. It has a majestic appearance, just like its catchphrase, “its appearance is majestic and magnificent,” and since its registration, the rice has received excellent results at many competitions every year.
First new breed of national university corporation
Yudai 21 was established on a farm affiliated with the Faculty of Agriculture at Utsunomiya University.
It is located in a rural area of Maoka City, Tochigi Prefecture, about 13 km southeast of the campus in Utsunomiya City, making it easy for students to get around.
The farm has a total area of 101 hectares, equivalent to about 21 Tokyo Domes, where education and research are conducted in rice paddies, common fields, vegetable fields, orchards, greenhouses for institutional horticulture, fodder fields, and pastureland.
The predecessor of the Faculty of Agriculture of Utsunomiya University, “Utsunomiya Higher School of Agriculture and Forestry,” was founded in 1922.
It is one of the longest-established faculties of agriculture at a national university. Today, a wide range of education and research is conducted in five departments: the Department of Bioresource Science, the Department of Applied Biochemistry, the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, the Department of Agricultural Economics, and the Department of Forest Science, aiming at sustainable agriculture and environmental conservation through practical education and advanced research on a vast farm and in cooperation with local communities. Through practical education and advanced research on a vast farm, the university aims to develop human resources with a global perspective in cooperation with local communities, with the goal of sustainable agriculture and environmental conservation.
Miracle of the birth of Yudai 21
Yudai 21 is called “a miracle that it was born.
The reason for this is that the strain on which Yudai 21 was based was discovered by chance.
In 1990, Professor Emeritus Tadanobu Maeda, then an assistant professor at the Faculty of Agriculture, discovered a single, particularly large ear of rice in a test field at the affiliated farm where he was conducting experimental cultivation. After 20 years of cultivation research, selection, and fixation of this single plant, he registered it as a new variety in 2010.
The chance encounter with Professor Emeritus Maeda, who did not miss it, led to the discovery of a slightly larger ear of rice among the thousands of rice plants. Who could have imagined that 20 years later, this rice would dominate rice competitions nationwide?
Before it was registered as a variety, Yudai 21 was called “U21L,” which is derived from “U” for Utsunomiya University and “L” for large ear.
Based on this strain name, the name “Yudai 21” was given by combining the size of the first ears of rice found, the grandeur of the affiliated farm, and the name of Utsunomiya University, “Udai” and “Yudai”.
Emerges as a prominent figure in the “Rice and Taste Analysis Contest.
After the variety was registered, Yudai 21 appeared for the first time in the Special Excellence Award of the International Rice and Taste Analysis Competition, which is considered the largest rice competition in Japan, at the 15th competition held in 2013. Starting with this, Yudai 21 was nominated for the Gold Prize in the International General Section at the 16th competition, and at the 23rd competition, five winners of the Gold Prize in the International General Section and four winners of the Special Excellence Award exhibited the same variety and received the awards.
In the 25th competition, 10 out of 18 winners of the Gold Award and 10 out of 24 winners of the Special Excellence Award in the International Comprehensive Category were Yudai 21, and more than half of the prizes were awarded to this variety.
Before Yudai 21 emerged to prominence, Koshihikari accounted for more than half of the prize winners, but the competition situation has changed drastically in just 10 years.
Yudai 21 tastes good even when cold
What is the taste of Yudai 21, a variety that is dominating the show? According to Professor Yukitsugu Takahashi of the Faculty of Agriculture, Utsunomiya University, the main characteristics of Yudai 21 are its strong and well-balanced umami taste, and the more you chew it, the sweeter it tastes.
In addition, even after six hours have passed since the rice was cooked, it retains the softness it had immediately after cooking. In other words, the true value of this rice is demonstrated when eaten cold, such as onigiri (rice ball) or bento (lunch box).
Characteristics of Yudai 21 and differences from Koshihikari
Yudai 21, which has been developed through comparative cultivation with Koshihikari, is slightly larger than Koshihikari, making it more satisfying. The stickiness of the rice immediately after cooking is 5.5 times greater than that of Koshihikari, and even when the rice is old, the decrease in stickiness is less than 30%. This is more than three times the stickiness of old Koshihikari rice.
Based on these data, many growers are expecting that this variety will surpass Koshihikari.
The Potential of the 21 Contemporary Art Museum
Another of Yudai 21’s major strengths is its resistance to heat.
This was known to some extent from the beginning of the research, but Professor Takahashi, Professor Yoshikazu Nagao of the Faculty of Agriculture at Utsunomiya University, and other university members involved in Yudai 21 were unable to fully grasp the extent to which it was actually heat-resistant.
However, in 2023. That summer was surprisingly hot, with the average temperature hitting its highest level since statistics began, and the total number of extremely hot days reaching its highest level since 2010.
Yudai 21 overcame the heat and won more awards than Koshihikari in the 2023 Rice and Food Taste Analysis Contest.
In contrast to Koshihikari, which is vulnerable to heat, Yudai 21 was able to overcome the extreme heat and still produce good eating quality and characteristics. This demonstrates that this variety has the ability to cope with considerable heat. It has the potential to become more popular in Japan, where temperatures are expected to rise due to global warming.
Where Yudai 21 is headed
Although Yudai 21 has so many strengths and high potential, it has a characteristic that makes its cultivation method difficult.
The reason for this is that Yudai 21 rice is tall, and depending on recent weather conditions, it may sag strongly. Although the stalks do not break, they grow vigorously, and if the rice falls over, harvesting becomes difficult, leading to a decrease in yield and a decline in quality. If cultivation is difficult, it is difficult to increase production. Therefore, Utsunomiya University continues to conduct cultivation research in order to establish a better cultivation method that is adapted to the environment and weather conditions.
The next phase for Yudai 21, which has won high acclaim in numerous competitions, is to expand its share of the market as a delicious brand of rice like Koshihikari and Tsuyahime, and to make it a business model. To achieve this goal, the next phase of Yudai 21 will be to clear the challenges and increase production to make the variety easily accessible to everyone and readily available on dinner tables throughout Japan. Utsunomiya University’s challenges will continue in the future.