This Spring Festival, Liu Yi, Deputy Researcher at the Shanghai Agricultural Biotechnology Center, brought 200 samples of water-saving and drought-resistant rice "prototype seedlings" cultivated from the laboratory to the Shanghai Nanfan Scientific Research Breeding Base in LingShui County, Hainan. In Shanghai, rice is usually planted once a year. By planting rice during the Spring Festival in Hainan, one can harvest a crop by May or June. Through alternating planting between Shanghai and Hainan, two crops of rice can be "squeezed" out in one year. The water-saving and drought-resistant rice, which won the first prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award in 2020 and is also the first national science and technology first prize in the agricultural field in Shanghai, started from a 15-acre field in Mi Yong Village, Guangpo Town, LingShui County, Hainan Province. Today, it has spread across the country and to some countries along the "Belt and Road Initiative", with the next goal being to increase the rice planting area in China by 100 million mu. According to the latest "National Nanfan Silicon Valley Construction Plan (2023-2030)" issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Natural Resources, and other departments, Nanfan Silicon Valley will gradually become the source and high ground of national seed technology innovation, as well as the forefront of China's seed industry's "bringing in" and "going out". For this goal, more and more agricultural researchers are migrating south like migratory birds in winter. "This time we brought heat-resistant, salt-alkali-resistant, and herbicide-resistant rice seedlings, hoping to cultivate more excellent varieties to adapt to more complex and changeable environments," said Liu Yi. Shanghai rice seeds are sown in "Belt and Road Initiative" countries Getting up at 7 o'clock in the morning, it takes 40 minutes to patrol the water-saving and drought-resistant rice breeding fields at Nanfan Breeding Base. Here, intermediate materials for water-saving and drought-resistant rice breeding selected and identified from all over the country are planted. The green seedlings are marked with various names and codes, silently competing in "physical strength," "endurance," and disease resistance. After being cultivated at the Nanfan base, the best ones among them will be promoted for nationwide trial planting. "What we brought this time are rice seedlings that have undergone molecular detection and are rich in various green resistance genes, as well as rice seedlings cultivated through anther culture differentiation," Liu Yi explained. Modern biological breeding technology can significantly improve breeding efficiency. These intermediate materials, which are bred through precise breeding and directional selection, can stabilize faster with the help of Hainan's light and temperature conditions. Although water-saving and drought-resistant rice is famous for being "non-selective" in terms of land, scientists still need to breed varieties that are suitable for local climate conditions in different regions. For example, among the "prototype seedlings", there are some particularly heat-resistant varieties, which are specifically bred for southern China and countries along the "Belt and Road Initiative". This Spring Festival, Liu Yi's main task at the Nanfan base is to ensure the water, medicine, and fertilizer for about 300 mu of experimental fields. Since water-saving and drought-resistant rice only needs to be irrigated three times during the three stages of seedling emergence, tillering, and grain filling, and its dependence on chemical fertilizers has greatly reduced, he jokingly said that his work is a bit leisurely. Moreover, "the weather in Hainan is sunny and good this Spring Festival, and the seedlings are growing well." This is exactly the original intention of the research team of the Shanghai Agricultural Gene Center's water-saving and drought-resistant rice: to make China's water sustain its rice and to free farmers from heavy labor. Aiming for more high-quality green and safe agricultural products Mi Yong Village, Guangpo Town, LingShui County, has a suitable climate and high terrain. Around 2000, Luo Lijun, chief scientist of the Shanghai Agricultural Biotechnology Center, rented 15 mu of land here and started researching water-saving and drought-resistant rice. With the continuous upgrading of the breeding demand at Nanfan, it has become the scientific research breeding base for Nanfan in Shanghai. Every year from November to May of the following year, batches of agricultural experts come here to conduct scientific research on breeding. Nowadays, 70% of the varieties of grains and vegetables on Chinese tables have basked in the sunshine and rain of Hainan. "The initial Nanfan was very hard, it can be described as 'difficult and annoying', but now the infrastructure and living conditions have greatly improved. Nowadays, we often encounter young people, and there are also many students," said Liu Yi. One characteristic of agricultural research is that mealtime is not controlled by oneself. Sometimes after grabbing the planting or harvesting, one has to work until dark. Now, there is a special office group responsible for logistics support at the base. During the Spring Festival, the canteen remains open as usual. As long as you pre-order meals in the app, there will always be hot meals in the thermos box of the canteen, no matter how late you work. In addition to continuing to cultivate water-saving and drought-resistant rice, the Shanghai Agricultural Biotechnology Center also responds to the national goal of building "Nanfan Silicon Valley" and sets its sights on more high-quality green and safe agricultural products. Last year, LingShui County, the Shanghai Agricultural Biotechnology Center, and Huazhong Agricultural University jointly established the LingShui Nanfan Industry Development Research Institute, aiming to promote the industrial upgrading of green rice and various economic crops. "Nowadays, when it comes to Nanfan, researchers are scrambling to come." Liu Yi said that after the New Year, colleagues from the gene center will come one after another, and the fields will also become busy.
