Giant plant would boost rice harvests

The scientist behind China's "giant rice" has said he believes the crop could boost yields across Southeast Asia and other Belt and Road Initative countries, helping to ease global concerns over food security.

Xia Xinjie, chief researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said his newly developed rice plant can better adapt to conditions such as climate than the rice plant strains in use.

The new plant grows to about 2 meters, almost twice the height of standard varieties, and has a longer growth cycle. A test in Hunan province this month yielded 15,000 kilograms per hectare, just short of the record 17,000 kg set by the newest hybrid rice strain.