BEIJING, CHINA — Amid the Chinese government’s push to increase self-sufficiency in grains and oilseeds, one of the country’s leading agricultural technology companies announced on March 20 “a major breakthrough in corn production technology.”
Origin Agritech Ltd. said it has utilized “precise gene-editing techniques” to develop a high-yield corn inbred line that significantly surpasses the productivity of traditional corn.
The Beijing-based company said that during two years of rigorous multilocational field trials, the new gene-edited corn inbred line demonstrated a yield increase of over 50% compared to the original line.
“The significant increase in yield potential heralds a new era in corn production, offering a sustainable solution to meet the growing global demand for food,” said Dr. Gengchen Han, chairman and chief executive officer of Origin Agritech. “We believe that our gene-edited high-yield corn will play a crucial role in enhancing food security and sustainability worldwide.”
The company said it plans to fully integrate this trait into its elite commercial corn line by the end of 2024, and that the integration is expected to greatly enhance seed yield and significantly reduce the cost of hybrid seed production. In addition, Origin will conduct field demonstrations and seed production trials in the summer of 2024 to showcase the technology’s performance and its potential impact on the agriculture industry.
China is forecast to set a record for corn production in the 2023-24 marketing year, reaching 288 million tonnes, according to the Foreign Agricultural Service of the US Department of Agriculture. However, to meet consumption needs, it is projected to import 23 million tonnes of corn, which would be China’s second highest total ever.
