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Sci-tech Info 　　Chinese Hybrid Rice to Be Popularized Worldwide 　　 　　The Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO) of the United Nations has put hybrid rice development and production at the top of its list of solutions to food shortages in developing countries. It plans to popularize hybrid rice on five billion mu (15 mu=1 hectare) of land, increasing the global yield by 500 million tons. 　　Rice is widely planted in over 120 countries and regions as one of their main crops. Over half of the world’s population depends on rice, but the average output per mu is only around 200 kg worldwide. 　　Food security has become a deep concern around the globe, but China is ahead of the game, doing research on rice since the 1960s. Yuan Longping, aka “father of hybrid rice,” succeeded in developing three-line hybrid rice in 1974 and later two-line and super hybrid rice. His technologies helped China to increase its yields by 300 billion kg over a two-decade period, and achieve self-sufficiency by the mid-1980s. 　　Recently about 40 countries and regions in Southeast Asia, South Asia, South America, Africa and North America have introduced and researched hybrid rice, bringing them incredible growth on yield. In the Philippines, for example, hybrid rice produced over three tons per hectare compared with other rice strains. 　　 　　Large Rescue Amphibious Aircraft in Development 　　 　　China has started to develop a large fire-fighting/rescue mission amphibious aircraft. The plane will be capable of taking off and landing on either land or water. The Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) announced the four-engine propeller aircraft will have a maximum take-off weight of 4.9 tons, a maximum speed in level flight of 560 km per hour, and a maximum flying range of 5,150 km. 　　According to AVIC, it will be used primarily for fire fighting and rescue missions but has a place in marine monitoring and long-distance cargo transportation as well. The prototype is set to be ready