China May Mass Market Blight-Resistant Rice
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
As early as this year, China could start commercial production of a new breed of genetically engineered rice, scientists said. They are looking to mass produce Xa21 rice, which contains a gene from an African wild rice.
The Xa21 strain, developed through publicly funded international research, is resistant to bacterial blight -- one of the most serious crop diseases in Africa and Asia, which can cause devastating yield loss.
