China - November 27, 2024 Farming tradition meets innovation in China's vegetable heartland (Voice_over) From purple sprouting broccoli to tomatoes on the vine. This annual vegetable fair is a one-stop shop for China's agricultural traditions and innovations. (Sound_bite) Zhang Fuguang, Worker, Yurun Mengyang Vegetable Market: "Traditional broccoli is round and compact. This is a newly developed variety. It can be eaten raw because it's green and natural." (Voice_over) Location - Pengzhou, a small city on the Chengdu Plain - a historic agricultural hub, and now, one of China's major vegetable bases. The city has a cultivation area of more than 500 square kilometers, yielding an annual output of more than two million tons. (Sound_bite) Tao Yuan, Reporter: "Vegetables here don't just stay in the farmland. The city has partnered with leading agricultural research institutions to develop new varieties in the lab." (Voice_over) This laboratory is designed to support the high-quality development of the Pengzhou vegetable industry. Researchers here are working to tackle key challenges, such as food safety and the effect of climate change. (Sound_bite) Song Zhanfeng, Director, Vegetable Research Center, Horticulture Institute of Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences: "In recent years, what we've observed most frequently is the irregularity of high temperatures, low temperatures, and rainfall. This lack of pattern in the climate makes it difficult for scientists to conduct research and for local farmers to grow crops. Without a predictable pattern, it's hard to manage things properly. Such environmental changes affect plant growth significantly." (Voice_over) This study is focuses on stress resistance, developing crops that can thrive under extreme weather conditions, such as high and low temperatures, excessive rainfall, or water scarcity. The goal is to identify and enhance the genetic traits that make these crops more resilient. (Sound_bite) Song Zhanfeng, Director, Vegetable Research Center, Horticulture Institute of Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences: "We artificially create a high-temperature or low-temperature environment for it to grow in. Then we observe how it performs in those conditions. After that, we conduct genetic modification and run tests to see whether it expresses the desired traits. Once successful, we apply this technology to our vegetable varieties." (Voice_over) A testament to how science and innovation can shape the future of one of humanity's oldest industries. [Restriction: No access Chinese mainland]