appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Victoria Bela

Scientists in China are growing towering hybrids of wheat and rye – taller even than some humans – in the deserts of its western Xinjiang region.
The hybrids, known as triticale, can adapt more easily than wheat to challenging conditions and, in addition to providing food for humans, their stalks and leaves can be used for animal feed.
“It is tolerant of poor soil, cold, drought, salinity, and wind and sand,” Kuang Feiting, the executive director of Xinjiang Maishengdao Biotechnology, the firm playing a leading role in the project, told China News Service earlier this month.
“In newly reclaimed desert saline-alkali land, it may be difficult for ordinary wheat to even sprout, and it may take two or three years to become profitable.”
Kuang said triticale could produce up to 4 tonnes of forage per mu – a Chinese unit of land measurement equivalent to 667 square metres (7,180 sq ft) – each year, making bumper harvests possible.
Triticale, a synthetic hybrid produced by crossbreeding the grains of wheat and rye, was first bred in laboratories in Scotland and Germany in the late 19th century.
Hybridisation allows the favourable traits of two species to be combined, resulting in a more adaptable crop that can produce higher yields.
Rye – which is commonly used to make bread and alcohol – is capable of growing where wheat fails, including in sandy and acidic soils, as well as colder climates. This helps make triticale more resilient to climate fluctuations.
While wheat and triticale can yield the same quantities under normal growing conditions, under poor conditions – for example when water supplies are limited or the soil is low in nitrogen – triticale can offer higher yields, according to a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Field Crop in 2024.
The researchers from the Cuixi Academy of Biotechnology said the crude protein and total digestible nutrients of triticale were comparable to those of wheat.
China has been transforming deserts in Xinjiang into agricultural hubs to grow crops such as wheat and rice.


However, scientists and farmers in the region still need to contend with challenges such as local weather and alkaline soils with high salt levels.
Kuang was mentored by Yuan Longping – known as the “father of hybrid rice” – for five years, and has been working on growing triticale in the transformed Xinjiang desert for several years, according to the state-owned China News Service.
Earlier this month, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences’ Institute of Crop Science held a meeting on using saline-alkali land in Xinjiang to grow forage triticale.
Zhongsi 1048, the variety they are growing at a demonstration base in Kashgar prefecture, can reach almost 1.6 metres (5 feet 3 inches) in height – tall enough to prevent weeds growing and increasing the amount of fodder produced.
“By planting triticale, the region achieved an ecological reversal from desert to lush greenery in just six months, with soil salinity decreasing from 1.4 per cent to 0.76 per cent,” the institute said.
The ability of triticale to reduce salt levels means it can also be planted in rotation with other crops such as cotton and nuts to help improve soil conditions.
Passionate about science? Dive deeper with the Dark Matters newsletter, a weekly in-depth analysis on China’s rise in science, technology and military that goes beneath the surface. Sign up for free now.


China tests first practical submarine solar power plant at 10 metres depth in the open sea

Rare earth exposure can triple low birthweight risk: Chinese study

China must enforce high standards of integrity for scientists

Is China’s fabled Empress Dowager Huayang buried near an airport? A study says yes

Science

China is growing giant wheat-rye hybrids in its western deserts. Here’s why

The crop can grow up to 1.6 metres high, taller than some humans. Photo: qq.com

China launches new war on deserts with technology tested on far side of the moon

An apple orchard in China’s western Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, along the edge of the Taklamakan Desert. Photo: Xinhua

China turns coal power plant exhaust into cheap, effective fertiliser

A coal-powered power plant belches smoke in Datong, central China’s Shanxi province, on November 4, 2021. Reportedly, Jiangnan Environmental Technology's process can capture about 90 per cent of the carbon emitted by a power plant. Photo: AFP

News

China

The crop, known as triticale, is easier to grow in challenging conditions and can provide food for both humans and animals


The crop, known as triticale, is easier to grow in challenging conditions and can provide food for both humans and animals.


Xinjiang

China food security

Food and agriculture

China is growing giant wheat-rye hybrids in its western deserts. Here’s why

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The crop, known as triticale, is easier to grow in challenging conditions and can provide food for both humans and animals

The crop, known as triticale, is easier to grow in challenging conditions and can provide food for both humans and animals