As the Olympic Games take place in Brazil, the agricultural world is holding its very own Olympics too. The Crop Science Congress is a meeting which takes place every four years in selected countries. Researchers however don't come to compete, but to check out information displays and to take part in discussions. At this year's event, which takes place in Beijing, many have called for an improvement in hybrid rice quality.
China's Honglian type hybrid rice has been introduced at the congress. It's one of two major hybrid rice types in the country. One of the researchers here says that the rice sells well in south eastern Asian countries and in parts of Africa.
"The Honglian Type hybrid rice has an outstanding sales performance in south east Asia. Its yield is 50 per cent more than local rice, and it is of very good quality as well. It also doesn't spoil in high temperatures," said Professor Li Shaoqing from Hl Hybrid Rice Research Group, Wuhan University.
China is a world leader in hybrid rice research and technology.
Since the 1970s, hybrid rice breeds have been exported to dozens of countries, including the US, Indonesia and Brazil.
But some think hybrid rice doesn't taste as good as organic rice.
Now researchers are focusing just as much on quality as they are on high yield and pest resistance.
"The main problem is that consumers across the world have very different expectations of quality. Some like firm rice, some like sticky rice. The breed should be able to solve that problem each time they are producing a new variety," said Matthew Morell, director general of International Rice Research Institute.
Agricultural experts are already tackling world hunger and climate change - and now, new strains of high quality, environmentally-friendly rice. And it shouldn't be too long before these new technologies being developed make the move from the lab to the farm.
