April 26, 2012

Chinese high-yield corn breed succeeds in local farms

A locally developed corn breed in China has been used on a growing number of domestic farms, letting farmers to achieve social and economic benefits, the corn's developer stated.

"Jundan" corn can now be found on more than 133,000 square km of Chinese farmland, said Cheng Xiangwen, head of the group that originally developed the hybrid corn breed.

Cheng, also head of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences of the city of Hebi in central China's Henan Province, said the benefits gained by the farmers could be valued at more than US$15 billion (US$2.4 billion) since the corn was introduced.

The latest Jundan strain, the "Jundan 20," went into use in 2000 after 19 years of research and breeding.

The corn, a hybrid of a North American breed and a Thai breed, boasts high yields, a resistance to pests and multiple applications. Its output of 15,279 kg per hectare previously allowed China to set a summer corn production record.