After the meeting, Zhou Yu and Wang Xiaoxiao came to the Institute of Genetics together.

He wants to take a look at the crops that will be applied to the water city, and the effect of these aquatic crops will directly lead to the success or failure of the blue ocean project.

Zhou Yu came to the laboratory and saw that scientists were growing crops in the seawater, and several crops were now growing luxuriantly.

It saw that there were common grains and vegetables such as rice, potatoes, cabbage, lettuce, eggplant, kidney beans, cucumbers, etc., in the laboratory.

This is completely different from what Zhou Yu thought, Zhou Yu also thought that the aquatic crops were Wang Xiaoxiao's re-editing of a special and edible crop through gene editing.

"Director Wang, I saw that the grains and vegetables in your laboratory are all common plants.

It is nothing more than the use of hydroponics to grow vegetables, which is not commonly used by farmers but is a common technique for factory production of vegetables in developed countries.

These plants can be grown in seawater, and what genes have changed in them? ”

Wang Xiaoxiao pointed to a scientific researcher next to him and said: "This is Qin Ming, a researcher specializing in aquatic crops, he is not from a professional background, but graduated from Xinghuo University, which was founded by our company.

With his unbridled innovative ideas and good scientific research quality, he was recruited by me to the Institute of Genomics. ”

Zhou Yu looked at Qin Ming, he was a very young person, and the overall scientific research workers of Xinghuo Technology were very young, with an average age of only 38 years old.

Xinghuo University, a virtual university founded by Xinghuo Technology, many people can master very rich professional knowledge after only the first year of study.

Artificial intelligence can perfectly tap a person's talents, and the difference in IQ between people is greater than the difference in IQ between humans and monkeys.

Some people have a talent in a certain industry that no one can match.

Artificial intelligence can tap a person's talent through scientific means, and it is precisely because of this that the graduates of Spark University are very popular with society.

Qin Ming introduced with a smile on his face: "Mr. Zhou, we mainly modify the genetic composition of plant roots, so that the root cells of plants can adapt to the high osmotic pressure environment.

The roots of these plants have been genetically modified to enhance their adaptability to grow in water.

The plant roots of aquatic crops have the ability to filter seawater, and it absorbs only the water molecules in seawater and the ions that plants need to grow.

In this way, after being genetically modified, aquatic crops can live normally in seawater.

We did not modify the gene expression of some of the nutrients that can be eaten by aquatic crops, so that aquatic crops still maintain their original nutrients.

Our bodies have adapted to the nutrients of these crops for hundreds or even thousands of years.

Rashly modifying the expression genes of the edible parts of aquatic crops, newly constituted proteins and other substances is likely to cause discomfort to the human body, and we must try our best to avoid this situation. ”

Zhou Yu nodded, he understood Qin Ming's introduction, these aquatic crops were genetically modified crops.

However, in addition to the root system, the protein expressed by the edible part of the gene of this aquatic crop is no different from that of the original crop.

Zhou Yu looked at these aquatic crops and asked, "How are they growing, do these crops need to be fertilized?"

Qin Ming introduced: "Mr. Zhou, we have improved the genes of aquatic crops, and the speed of nutrient intake of aquatic crops has accelerated, and their growth rate has also accelerated, which is 1~2 times faster than the original production speed.

Aquatic rice grows for one month, and it is a fast-growing food crop, while aquatic lettuce grows at a rate of only 10 days and can be eaten after three days.

It is precisely because of the fast growth rate of aquatic crops that it needs to be managed through fertilization and intelligent industrial fertilization. ”

Zhou Yu learned about the situation of aquatic crops, and he smiled, satisfied with aquatic crops.

"The growth rate of the aquatic crops you developed is relatively good, the composition is the same as the original crop, the nutrients should be about the same, what is the taste of the aquatic crops?"

Wang Xiaoxiao heard Zhou Yu's inquiry, he said with a smile: "Mr. Zhou, the taste of aquatic crops is somewhat different from the original crops, their taste is more crisp, now it's almost lunch time, we want the chef to fry a few dishes with aquatic crops, and everyone tastes the taste of aquatic crops together."

They rushed to the cafeteria of the scientific research center and continued to discuss genetic technology during the break.

"The growth rate of aquatic crops can reach 1~2 times that of the original crop, and the relevant growth genes should also be transplanted to the original crop." Zhou Yu suggested.

Qin Ming heard Zhou Yu's suggestion and immediately replied: "Mr. Zhou, this is not difficult at all, even the genes of crop roots do not need to be modified on a large scale, only some genes that control the rate of nutrient absorption are modified."

We produce plant active cells through cell replication, and give the plant's active cells as nutrients, so that it can grow into a normal plant.

These active cells are encased in organic material to form artificial seeds.

Genetically modified crops are no longer able to reproduce in the natural environment, and they will not carry modified genes and pollute them with other plants.

At the same time, we also guarantee the safety of our technology, and only our company can produce the seeds of the respective plants. ”

Rice, potatoes and some common vegetables can grow 1~2 times faster than the original, which plays a major role in ensuring the overall food security of China.

As the most populous country in the world, China accounts for 23% of the world's population, but only 7% of the world's arable land, and most of the land is still relatively barren.

Western scholars have long predicted that sooner or later China will fall into a food crisis.

Whether in ancient times or now, as long as the country is in a food crisis, it is not far from political turmoil and war.

In ancient times, there were thousands of peasant uprisings in China as evidence, and in modern times there are the Arab Spring and the Ukrainian crisis that swept the world.

One of the reasons for the Arab Spring was that grain-exporting countries such as Europe and the United States raised food prices by 10%.

The 10 per cent increase in international food prices has bankrupted people in the slums of these countries, and as long as people do not have enough to fill, unrest is not far off.

If there is a food crisis in China and more than a billion people suffer from hunger, no country will be able to meet the surplus food of more than one billion people.

The food crisis can only be overcome by starving to death.

Huaxia used 7% of the barren arable land to feed 23% of the population, and it was the agriculturists represented by Yuan Longping who developed hybrid rice, hybrid corn and other hybrid crops, which greatly increased the production of grain.

If Academician Yuan's contribution is in the age of mythology, it is enough to make people immortal.

Now it is their group of people who take over the responsibility, if the growth rate of crops is increased by 1~2 times, it means that the grain output will increase by 1~2 times, which can perfectly defend national food security.

The state can even use food, a weapon with great lethality, to achieve its own goals.

Soon, a meal made from aquatic crops was served. They finished the meal together.

Zhou Yu praised after eating: "The taste is very good, the rice has a clear fragrance, and the taste of the dish is crisper than the original dish."