Qingdao tests new breed of super-rice

A new breed of salt-resistant super-rice that could help China feed its huge population over the next 100 years is currently being tested in Qingdao, Shandong province.

Developed by the renowned Chinese scientist Yuan Longping, who bred the first varieties of hybrid rice in the 1970s, the hardy new strain of hybrid rice can survive even in salty or alkaline soil.

This could be hugely valuable for China's future food security, since climate change is accelerating soil salinization in the country.

As China has to feed 20 percent of the world's population with less than 10 percent of its arable land, salinization poses a huge threat.

If swathes of land became unsuitable for growing staple grains such as rice and wheat, China would find it extremely difficult to keep up with its people's increasing demand for food.

Yuan and his team are testing their new salt-resistant rice by planting it in soil with a high saline-alkali content. The first phase of the test began on June 5 on 27 hectares of land in Jimo, a county-level city administered by Qingdao.

Yuan Longping is a Chinese agricultural scientist, known for breeding the first hybrid rice in the 1970s. Hybrid rice has since been grown in Africa, America, and Asia, providing a robust food source for famine-ravaged areas around the world. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]