Dawa Dondrup (member of the CPPCC National Committee, associate research fellow of the Agriculture Institute of the Tibet Academy of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Sciences)
Highland barley is better than other grain crops in terms of its stable yield capacity and adaptability to different ecological environments. The plant is thus widely sowed across Tibet. As the No. 1 crop there, the production of highland barley in Tibet directly impacts the improvement of people’s living standards. Last year alone, the Tibet Autonomous Region increased its infrastructural investments, and nearly 2,667 square kilometers of farmland is deemed of high quality, with half that dedicated to the cultivation of highland barley. My research team members and I are currently studying the genetic makeup of Tibetan winter barley by focusing on improving its resistance to frigid temperatures and stimulating early maturation. We are also cultivating fine varieties in order to promote the most superior varieties as a means to restructure the layout of modern plantations and maximize yield of the same.
