Yuan Longping (center), a hybrid rice expert, checks a new strain of hybrid rice at a pilot field in Handan, Hebei province, on Oct 15, 2017. [Photo/VCG] Exacting standards applied to fields in hopes of boosting food supply A new world record for a single crop of rice was set in North China's Hebei province this year by a hybrid strain that delivered an annual yield of 17.2 metric tons of rice per hectare of farmland. The high-yield hybrid rice, called Xiangliangyou 900, was developed by a team led by Yuan Longping, who developed the world's first hybrid strain in the 1970s. Under a three-year test, the rice was planted on a 6.8-hectare field in Guangfu town, Handan. This year's yield was the highest to date, according to Hebei Guigu Fertilizer Co, which cooperates with Yuan's team in managing the field. This is the highest yield in the world, and much higher than the world average, Yuan said on Sunday when this year's yield was estimated. The global average is about 10 metric tons per hectare, according to Yan Hongtao, general manager of Hebei Guigu. Yan said the high-yield strain needs to be carefully cultivated, from planting seedlings to transplanting, fertilizing and pest control. Each step is managed precisely, Yan said. The space between two rows of rice seedlings must be 45 centimeters or 35 centimeters to ensure their healthy growth. He added that organic silicon fertilizers used during the growth phase can overcome contamination from soil and improve soil conditions, allowing the rice to grow smoothly. The record-setting field is just one of the testing grounds in China for Yuan's hybrid strains of rice. His goal is to expand the scale of high-yield rice production. Overall, the team has managed 42 test fields in 16 provincial regions across the country, including Yunnan, Shaanxi, Guangdong, Chongqing and Hunan. Hybrid rice, sometimes called super rice, is produced by crossbreeding different varieties. Yuan has set three world records in hybrid rice yield - in 1999, 2005 and 2011, according to Xinhua News Agency. Contact the writers at [email protected]custom silicone braceletswellies and wristbands202mm to inches
BEIJING - The Chinese mainland's Taiwan affairs chief Wednesday called on people across the Taiwan Straits to work together for the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations and peaceful reunification of the motherland.Liu Jieyi, director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks while meeting with a Taiwanese delegation led by Hualien county chief Fu Kun-Chi in Beijing.Efforts should be made to adhere to the "1992 Consensus," which embodies the one-China principle, and resolutely oppose separatist activities advocating "Taiwan independence," Liu noted.Liu also pledged more measures to boost cross-Straits economic and cultural cooperation and improve the wellbeing of people on both sides.Fu expressed his gratitude for the help the mainland provided after a devastating earthquake that hit Hualien in early February. He said the county would continue to uphold the "1992 Consensus" and expand cooperation with the mainland.
