Sanya-bred sea rice seeds sown in Qingdao

More than 1,000 rice seeds bred at the Sanya Nanfan Breeding Base were recently sown at the Qingdao Sea Rice Research and Development Center in Licang district, Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, opening the field breeding and testing of new materials and rice varieties in 2022.

"Qingdao is relatively cold in the winter and cannot meet the growth needs of rice," a researcher said. In order to promote the development of the seed industry, the center's researchers bring materials to Sanya for breeding. Around May every year, the bred sea rice material is brought back to Qingdao for breeding.

Sea rice is a new type of rice with saline-alkaline tolerance that can be grown and produced on seashore tidal flats, as well as inland saline-alkali land. Sea rice breeding is of great significance to China's food production and food security.

On March 16 this year, the National Center of Technology Innovation for Saline-Alkali Tolerant Rice was established in Sanya, which will promote grain technology innovation and the ecological restoration of saline-alkali land.