A researcher in the Life Science and Technology Center observes the growth of rice seedlings. [Photo/ckn.cn]

A rice variety developed by the Life Science and Technology Center, which is resident in East Lake High-tech Development Zone (Optics Valley of China) in Wuhan -- capital city of Central China's Hubei province -- won a national gold award on Dec 26.

The Life Science and Technology Center is the largest rice research and development base of China National Seed Group Co Ltd and it settled in Optics Valley nine years ago.

In 2012, the center developed the world's first rice genome-wide breeding chip, which was recognized as "reaching the international leading level".

One chip can hold thousands of packets of rice gene information. Specific traits of rice can be clustered into a variety by microarray scanning.

It takes nearly 10 years to produce a high-quality seed. With breeding chips, the process has been cut in half.

Over the last decade, the center has invested nearly 100 million ($15.31 million) yuan annually in R&D.

Relying on self-controlled and world-leading rice breeding chip technology, it has selected nearly 150 high-quality varieties and planted them in all the rice planting areas at the south of the Yangtze River.