Sea-Rice Research and Development Center in Qingdao, a coastal city of east China's Shandong province, uses gene sequencing to cultivate new strains of sea-rice that will yield more rice and grow with saline water. Wild sea-rice is at first found in saline-alkaline soil at the junctures where rivers join the sea. The plant is resistant to pests, diseases, salt and alkali and does not need fertilizer. [qingdaonews.com] |