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Xinjiang weed cultivated for natural rubber production in China

Chinese scientists have successfully cultivated a rubber dandelion, Taraxacum kok-saghyz, in the Xinjiang region. This weed, found near the Tianshan Mountains, produces a milky fluid that can be extracted as natural rubber. A recent harvest of one tonne of dried roots yielded 40kg of rubber, potentially reducing China's dependence on imported rubber from Southeast Asia. AI

RANK_REASON Research on a plant's potential to produce a valuable commodity. [lever_c_demoted from research: ic=1 ai=0.1]

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Xinjiang weed cultivated for natural rubber production in China

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Research on a plant's potential to produce a valuable commodity. [lever_c_demoted from research: ic=1 ai=0.1]
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COVERAGE [1]

  1. SCMP — Tech TIER_1 English(EN) · Zhang Tong ·

    How a Xinjiang weed could reduce China’s reliance on Southeast Asian rubber

    Chinese scientists have turned a dandelion-like weed into natural rubber, a step that could help cut China’s heavy reliance on imported rubber. Growing on the salty, alkaline shores at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the plant looks muc…