China has claimed to have set a new world record by harvesting 1,449.7 kg of rice from about 16.65 acres of experimental arable land this year with a new 'super rice' strain cultivated using aerospace technology.
The new rice strain, known as Hangyou II-1, is cultivated by a panel of Chinese experts led by Xie Hua'an, a hybrid rice specialist and president of Fujian Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
The record rice output was achieved in two growing seasons in the year: 928.3 kg for the first, which ended in August this year, and 521.4 kg for the second, which ended in October, Xie said.
Experts from across the country who specially gathered together in Youxi county in southeast China's Fujian province, where the experiment was carried out, concluded that the new rice strain boasts features of higher yield and higher quality as well, and could be applied to larger paddy fields in southern China.