HAIKOU /China/, February 21. /TASS/. Scientists from Nanjing Agricultural University (NAU) have successfully adapted a lily growing in temperate latitudes to the tropical climate of the city of Sanya (southern coast of China's Hainan Province), the Sanya Daily newspaper.

Thus, the article notes, Hainan will ensure the effective cultivation of another cultural plant for economic purposes. "This is our first successful trial planting of lilies in Sanya. See, these flowers are blooming properly," said Yuan Shifeng, a representative of the local branch of NSU.

It took two months of meticulous care to grow the plants, according to the specialist. Teng Nianjun, professor of the Institute of Horticulture at NSU, clarified that before planting them in Hainan, a group of Chinese scientists spent several years analyzing the specific nature of these lilies, which have taken root in about 20 key areas in the PRC.

Teng Nianjun clarified that waterlogging hurts these plants the most. He explained that the temperature and humidity conditions on the island from mid-November to late March are optimal for their cultivation. According to Chinese experts, lilies have "great economic value and market potential."

Lily is a perennial bulbous plant, with more than 100 species growing in the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere (including 17 in Russia). It is poorly tolerant of highly acidic soil and is often used for decoration and sanitation, perfumery and as a food product.

Sanya plays a key role in the PRC's selective breeding, seed breeding and international best agricultural practices programs. Local projects attract the attention of several hundred research organizations, leading universities and enterprises each year. They involve thousands of specialists from different regions of China as well as from other countries. The fate of China's leading breeder, the "father of hybrid rice" Yuan Longping (1930-2021), who regularly visited there in winter for the past more than 50 years, was closely connected with these developments.