Jiang, supported by about 10 students who are studying for master's and doctor's degrees in the science, has also introduced his salt-tolerant seeds and growing technology to Inner Mongolia, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and northeastern provinces.

The ice plants (mesembryanthemum crustallinum in Latin) are also growing in some areas of southern Xinjiang while a demonstration zone of cotton cultivation has been developed in an area that once did not even have grass.

And Jiang says that there are vast land resources like this that can be developed.

Jiang is also taking his expertise abroad.

Giving details he says: "We are doing a demonstration project to grow salt-tolerant rice to help rejuvenate 2 million hectares land in Vietnam that has been encroached by sea water, in tandem with a Chinese fertilizer company."

Separately, he says that the Hainan lab will join Chinese scientists from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Chinese Academy of Sciences to work with the World Bank on water conservation and salt-tolerant farming in five Asian and African countries including Egypt, Tunis, Jordan, Lebanon.

Speaking about the plan, World Bank senior economist Li Qun says: "We invited officials and experts from the counties to visit water-saving fields in Shandong and Jiangsu. And I was surprised to find that they have gained much from the visits."

She says the visiting officials say they have finally found the way to handle similar problems in their countries.

Li also says Chinese scientists can play a positive role in promoting salt-tolerant farming techniques and water-saving agriculture in countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

"We will continue to introduce new farming technologies, develop new salt-tolerant seed products and promote them to farmers, in addition to rice, corn, sugar beet and lycium chinensis," Jiang says.

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