CHINA-AGRICULTURE: CHINESE SCIENTISTS HAVE DEVELOPED NEW SEATOLERANT RICE STRAINS
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Bloomberg (February 19) reported that scientists from China's 'Qingdao Saline-Alkali Tolerant
Rice Research and Development Center, have developed new salt-tolerant rice strains in the
hope of ensuring food security that’s been threatened by rising sea levels, increasing grain
demand and supply chain disruptions. Known as “seawater rice” because it’s grown in salty
soil near the sea, the strains were created by over-expressing a gene from selected wild rice
that’s more resistant to saline and alkali. Test fields in Tianjin—the municipality that
encompasses Jinghai—recorded a yield of 4.6 metric tons per acre last year. The breakthrough
comes as China searches for ways to secure domestic food and energy supplies as global
warming and geopolitical tensions make imports less reliable.
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