Research and experimental plantings of a crop hyped by Chinese media as "seawater rice" hold out the promise of turning vast areas of wasteland green and boosting food security.

Yuan, who has been dubbed China's "father of hybrid rice".

The Qingdao Saline-Alkali Tolerant Rice Research and Development Center, where Yuan is chief scientist, aims to use molecular breeding technologies to develop salt-resistant rice strains that can be widely planted on saline-alkaline land in places with different climates.