China Tops List for Plant Variety Applications

China has ranked top of the world in annual applications for new plant varieties for the third year in a row, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Major varieties of rice, wheat and soybean that are planted in China were all developed by Chinese agricultural institutions and companies, an official from the ministry said at a national seed industry meeting in Sanya earlier this month. A national seed breeding network has been created over years of development, with Hainan, Gansu and Sichuan as pillars, which supplies more than 70 percent of farm plant seeds used across the country.

Source: XINHUANET.COM