"The forage grass team has cultivated alfalfa varieties which have solved the problem of long-term reliance on imported alfalfa seeds in Shandong," said Liu.

To achieve precise and rapid breeding, the research teams have introduced a speed breeding facility and a phenotyping platform.

Inside the speed breeding facility, the environment is artificially controlled, drastically shortening crop growth cycles.

"Most crops in the north grow one cycle per year. Here, crop growth isn't affected by seasonal changes," said Ma Shumin, a staff member of the demonstration zone. This means the breeding cycle can be shortened from the traditional seven or eight years to three or four years.

The phenotyping platform operates like a plant CT room — a massive 25-meter wide, 300-meter long track system equipped with various hyperspectral, fluorescence, and radar cameras that perform comprehensive scans of plants growing in the field.

Through big data analysis, it can be quickly determined which variety is more salt-tolerant, greatly improving screening efficiency, Liu said.

"While the saline-alkaline land is a global challenge that is difficult to cure, technology and innovation enable its ingenious utilization. Seeing grain yields rise on this once-infertile land makes our work meaningful."

Gao Xiaolu, Dong Wenqiang and Yu Lichen contributed to this story.

zhaoruixue@chinadaily.com.cn