Chinese researchers have successfully grown a new strain of rice on an experimental basis. It does not require pesticides to keep it free of pests and is also resistant to herbicides.

The new strain of rice was created by the transfer of insect and herbicide resistant genes.

Research into transgenetic rice was funded by the Shandong Province Science and Technology Committee and the U.S-based Rockefeller Foundation in the amount of more than one million yuan.

A group of researchers headed by Professor Wen Fujiang of the Shandong Agriculture University spent six years perfecting this process.

Tests have shown that only 0.1 to 0.2 percent of the transgenetic rice suffers from diseases caused by pests, compared with 10 percent for ordinary rice.

Experts say that the new strain of rice is expected to become the second transgenetic crop grown worldwide since the introduction of a strain of pest-resistent cotton.