In a significant breakthrough for global food security, Chinese scientists have successfully developed rice varieties that can be cultivated in saltwater, a feat that could potentially feed an additional 200 million people worldwide by transforming vast areas of barren land into fertile fields.
The groundbreaking research, spearheaded by the late “Father of Hybrid Rice,” Yuan Longping, and his team, has been in development for decades at the Qingdao Saline-Alkali Tolerant Rice Research and Development Center. Nicknamed “seawater rice,” the new varieties were bred to thrive in saline and alkaline soils, which are typically infertile and make up a significant portion of the world’s landmass.
The breakthrough comes from a combination of advanced breeding techniques, including gene sequencing, to select and amplify salt-tolerant genes from wild rice strains. While traditional rice varieties cannot grow in water with a salt content above 0.3 percent, some of the new strains can withstand salinity as high as 0.6 percent, and in some cases, even higher.
Initial trials across China’s vast saline-alkali land have yielded promising results, with some test fields producing yields far exceeding expectations. The success has spurred large-scale planting initiatives in areas previously considered unusable for agriculture, including coastal regions and deserts. The ultimate goal is to convert millions of hectares of infertile land into productive rice paddies.
The implications of this breakthrough are monumental. With rising sea levels and climate change threatening to reduce the world’s arable land, the ability to grow a staple crop like rice in saltwater could provide a critical new food source for a growing global population. The research not only contributes to China’s food self-sufficiency but also offers a viable solution to food shortages in other countries facing similar environmental challenges.
