Three harvests step toward commercial use for seawater rice

Three experimental fields of seawater rice were harvested in China on Wednesday, a further step toward its future commercial viability.

Also known as saline-alkali tolerant rice, seawater rice is designed to grow in tidal flats or other areas with heavy salt content and has been developed by plant-breeding experts through crossbreeding and other technologies.

One type of seawater rice growing in Qingdao's Chengyang district, Shandong province, yielded 3.9 metric tons per hectare, experts announced.