Agricultural scientists in Shanghai are close to claiming success in creating a drought-resistant rice species. The breakthrough means a staple of the Chinese diet can soon be grown in the western and northern parts of China and in hilly regions in the near future, the Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences announced yesterday.

　　"In one or two years, we will produce a pleasant surprise for society," said Gu Xiaojun, deputy director of the academy. "By that time, we believe it won't be a dream any more for farmers to take off their rubber boots when growing rice."

　　"With the success of the purebred species, we will soon develop hybrid species of drought-resistant rice," explained Mei Hanwei, a scientist working on the project. He predicted that farmers around the country will be able to purchase the seeds within one to two years.

　　For centuries, rice has been grown on irrigated land only. If the new species, named "Zhonghan No 3," succeeds, farmers will be able to grow rice on dry land as the species only needs one-third of the water irrigation needed by common rice.

　　Experimental planting in different areas of the nation showed only 4,000 cubic meters of water is needed for every hectare of drought-tolerance rice on average. The water needed to grow common rice is about 12,000 cubic meters.

　　Gu said yields will be high and the quality will be good with the new species.

　　Currently, the yield of a new species can reach 6,000 kilograms per hectare, about 80 percent of that of common rice, and is expected to increase.

　　Besides turning more landsintosrice-producing areas, the drought-resistant rice is also significant in saving water, an important consideration as China is a country with a lack of water resources.

　　Scientific statistics show water for agricultural use accounted for 70 percent of the total water consumption. Of that, 70 percent was used to grow rice.