Pilot Planting of GE Maize and Soybeans Reaches More Regions in China

China is extending the pilot planting of genetically engineered maize and soybeans with the goal of speeding up the commercialization of these crops.

The pilot planting commenced in 2021, and was extended in 2022 to farmlands in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Southwest China's Yunnan Province. The program was then extended to 20 counties in five provincial-level regions including Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Sichuan, and Yunnan.

The initial results of the pilot planting indicate excellent performances of the crops, particularly in insect resistance and herbicide tolerance. GE maize and soybeans yields were 5.6% and 11.6% higher than the conventional seeds, respectively.

Read the original article from Global Times China.

https://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=20390