BEIJING — Chinese researchers have identified and evaluated the botanic characteristics of drought resistance on 24,000 files of wheat resources, according to Science and Technology Daily on June 10.

This achievement will contribute to better utilizing these resources to save agricultural water consumption and increase production, said the report.

To date, China has collected and preserved more than 50,000 files of wheat genetic resources, which provide abundant material for tapping and better utilization of these resources.

Amid this, researchers have identified and evaluated wheat resources through field operations and artificial simulation of their performance in drought and high-temperature conditions.

They selected a batch of wheat genetic resources with distinguishing characteristics of drought and heat resistance. Among these, 110 are files of wheat resources featuring both characteristics.

Agriculture is a heavy water consumption industry and uses 62 percent of China's total water consumption. In North China, wheat production takes up around 70 percent of agricultural water, according to Qian Qian, director of the Institute of Crop Sciences under the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS).

In 2020, the CAAS initiated the project to explore new genetic resources and technologies of crops, such as wheat, corn and soybean.

Genetic resources are the carriers of crops' genetic information, and the base materials of breeding.

Prior to this project, Chinese researchers had spent 39 years in identifying and evaluating the characteristics of the drought resistance of wheat resources from the national base of crop genetic resources.

In North China, around 60 percent of wheat production is on dry land or receive deficit irrigation. Serious water shortages and high temperatures in the later growing period severely affect wheat production, according to Qian.

Breeding and planting these wheat varieties with high resistance to adversity, best adaptability and high-yield characteristics is an important way to ensure food security.