Researchers in Fujian province have announced a breakthrough in breeding a high-starch low-methane rice, according to a press conference on Wednesday.

Wang Feng, a researcher from Institute of Biotechnology, worked with professor Sun Chuanxin, a member of Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, for 10 years on this project.

They recently published their work in Nature, the world’s most cited scientific journal, which called their work “groundbreaking”.

According to their thesis, the new breed of rice cuts methane emissions by 50 percent in autumn and 90 percent in summer. The starch content is 76 to 87 percent higher. If this new breed is used worldwide, methane emissions will fall by an estimated 50 million tons per year.