China's new barley breed sets yield record

XINING - Chinese agricultural scientists have developed a new highland breed of barley which yielded 5,265 kilograms a hectare, setting a new domestic output record.

The hybrid breed, "Kunlun 14", produced the record harvest during a trial planting in the Tibetan-inhabited Haiyan county of Northwest China's Qinghai province, the provincial academy of agriculture and forestry told Xinhua Friday.

The crop beat the former record holder "Chaiqing 1" with an 11.89 percent larger yield. Top-quality seeds, advanced cultivation methods and fertile farmland are needed to increase the barley output, according to the academy.

As it will be soon introduced to more barley farmers, the achievement is expected to increase agricultural production on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, where barley is a staple food, according to the academy.

"Kunlun 14" is produced by crossbreeding different varieties of barley. It exhibits a stronger resistance to cold and drought and more nutrients such as lysine, an essential amino acid that assists gastric function.

Highland barley grows 1,000 meters above sea level on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. In China, people living in Tibet, Qinghai and Gansu rely heavily on the grain. In Tibet alone, more than 70 percent of farmland grows barley.

In 2013, China produced more than 1.17 million tons of highland barley with some 1 million tons grown on Qinghai-Tibet plateau, while total consumption was about 1.05 million tons, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.