Researchers breeding 'sea rice' to feed millions

"Humans have always worked hard to adapt to harsh environments," Zhang said. "Planting salt-tolerant rice on saline land is one of those attempts."

He said that being able to grow rice on about 7 million hectares of saline and alkaline land, with yields of around 4,500 kilograms per hectare, could help feed about 80 million people.

At the Nanfan base, Zhang and his five colleagues check on growth every day, collect samples for crossbreeding and thresh harvested rice by hand. He said they often need to do a number of experiments to develop a stable variety.

The Qingdao center was founded in 2016 by Yuan Longping (1930-2021), the late "father of hybrid rice". Since then, Zhang and his colleagues have come to the Nanfan base each autumn and stay until May. Then, they go home to continue their research.

According to Zhang, the Nanfan base is a mecca for the country's agriculturists and has attracted 8,000 scientists and workers from 700 research institutions and universities over the years.

Nearly 70 percent of the country's new crop varieties have been bred at Nanfan.