SANYA, July 20. /TASS/. An agricultural experimental center in Sanya's Yazhou district (the Hainan province) was able to double the yield of soybeans, reported the Sanya Daily. 

A total of 1,356 soybean samples were planted on an area of ​​1.05 hectares. According to the newspaper, scientists were able to obtain about 250 kg of soybeans per mu (Chinese measure of area equal to 0.07 hectares), which is almost double the national standard of 135.25 kg established in China. Thus, the yield of new varieties can amount to up to 3.575 tonnes per hectare.

According to experts, they were also able to speed up the ripening time of soybeans by a third. Liu Fangdong, professor at the National Soybean Research Center at Nanjing Agricultural University (eastern China's Jiangsu province), who works at the Hainan Center, said he and his colleagues are currently considering five soybean crops a year.

According to him, the experts bred several varieties of soybeans by selection method and sowed them on the experimental site this spring. However, due to the cold, as well as the negative impact of various agricultural diseases and pests, scientists did not hope for any progress in the experiment. "Such achievements were a real surprise for us," he said.

It usually takes about 110 days for soybeans to ripen in China, but due to the tropical climate, a large number of sunny days and favorable agricultural conditions on Hainan, this figure was reduced to just over 70 days. As Liu Fangdong explained, in other regions of China, no more than two soybean crops can be harvested per year, so it takes about ten years to breed a new variety. Given the current results, the breeding process on Hainan could be greatly accelerated, which also reduces research costs.

The value of the crop

Soybeans are one of the most important crops in China. The annual demand in China for it is estimated at 110 million tonnes, with more than 90% being supplied from abroad. For this reason, increasing soybean yields is of strategic importance for ensuring the country's food security.

The center is currently planning to build a fortified greenhouse with a steel support structure. This will reduce the negative impact of frequent rains and typhoons on plants on Hainan.