The 87-year-old scientist deciphered the secret of growing rice with ... salty water

In addition to increasing productivity, rice grown in saltwater is also beneficial for health, because it has more calcium and micronutrients than regular rice.

We know that traditional rice cultivation requires fields to be supplied with enough fresh water. However, only a part of the land in China can grow rice in this way, since most of the land is saline due to flooding and coastal tides. For example, in Dong Kinh area on the east coast of China, nearly 40% of the land area has a salt content of over 0.5% (data provided by the World Bank). However, China is a country that produces more rice than any other country in the world.

Wetlands, clay or saltwater along the coast now account for about one-third of the total cultivated area in China and growing rice here is "impossible mission". This is because salt will prevent photosynthesis and respiration, causing the plant to stop growing and die. Some other areas face the risk of sea level rise.

However, if Chinese farmers can grow rice in most saline lands, the country's food supply will increase significantly.

The first success

Yuan Longping , an 87-year-old Chinese scientist, has almost devoted his life to food production. Now he is 'encroaching ' on a cultivated territory by new methods: planting new high-yielding rice varieties in salty water areas.

According to the Xinhua News Agency, the results from Mr. Longping's first experiment were very positive: A case of 200 different salt-tolerant rice varieties that his research team planted this year yielded 8030 pounds of rice / acre Brother. This number is larger than the yield that US rice farmers harvest (they usually range from 7,200 - 7,600 pounds of rice / acre).

Mr. Yuan Longping on the rice field.(Photo: Getty Images).

Rice cultivation on saline water also helps to increase the area of ​​land for other crops - previously used to save rice. The diet of Chinese people is changing because wealthy consumers often consume more meat and less grains. However, the space for livestock and vegetables is limited, because China's farmland is being reserved for rice production.

"Of course this could have a huge impact on the overall food security and food supply in China," said Ren Wang of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

Mr. Longping's early successes are good news because global production forecast for 2017 is showing signs of recession. According to the United Nations FAO, South Korea and Sri Lanka are undergoing unusual droughts, while Bangladesh recently suffered some of the most violent floods that hit South Asia in the first round. decades back here. India and Nepal are also affected by both floods and droughts in the same year. Therefore, rice prices are likely to rise.

Techniques are applicable in Vietnam

The experiment of growing rice in Mr. Longping's salt water was conducted at the Center for Research and Development of Alkaline Rice in Qingdao, showing that rice can grow in seawater, but the salt concentration must be mixed. washy.

"Rice can still only be grown in water that contains 10% of salt compared to seawater," Wang said. He noted that there is a long way to go so that this method can actually be applied in fields in China.

However, the team hopes that within the next 3-5 years, they can produce food in saline water enough to supply 200 million Chinese people, and to hundreds of millions of people around the world. Wang said the technique could also be applied in other areas, such as Bangladesh, Vietnam and part of Africa.

The goal may sound very difficult to implement, but with Mr. Longping we can absolutely count on its feasibility. In 2004, the Chinese researcher won the World Food Prize for his work on some of the first high-yielding hybrid rice varieties. It is this study that turns China from a food shortage into a food security country.

New rice variety

According to the United Nations, rice is an important crop for more than 7,000 years. Currently, more than half of the world's population rely on this grain to survive. Longping's high-yielding varieties of rice develop higher yields than traditional techniques, but it requires more energy consumption, as well as the need for inorganic fertilizers.

With the technique of growing rice on saltwater, rice growers are hoping to cut energy use. In the Philippines, a variety of rice called Green Super Rice has been successfully grown in saltwater. According to the International Rice Research Institute, this type of rice is more environmentally friendly than high-yielding rice, and it also has a higher price.

In addition to increasing productivity, rice grown in saltwater is also beneficial for health, because it has more calcium and micronutrients than regular rice. But scientists will have to make sure that consumers really want to eat this new rice.

Salt-tolerant rice strains in China are developed by crossing with wild rice varieties but having the same origin. However, Wang said that he has not found any detailed reports of rice quality, so he is also wondering about the taste of the new rice.

"There is still a lot of work ahead for scientists to do ," he said.