‘Totally unexpected’: China’s trial Taklamakan Desert wheat yield doubles national average

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A wheat demonstration plot in China’s Taklamakan Desert has yielded nearly twice the national average, according to a project by the Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences. The wheat variety Jingmai 189 was developed to resist drought, saline, and nutrient-poor soils, achieving 768kg per mu in a harsh environment.

A demonstration wheat plot in China’s vast Taklamakan Desert has produced a harvest nearly double the national average yield recorded in 2025, according to a project announcement. The wheat, known as Jingmai 189, was developed by the Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences to withstand drought, saline soil and nutrient-poor land. The trial on a managed, heavily saline plot produced a harvest of 768kg per mu (about 11.5 tonnes per hectare or 10,278lbs per acre) compared with the...