Scene of cole flower fields in Changsha, Hunan province, Mar 16, 2020.[Photo/Xinhua]

With improvements in living standards, people have new demands on the plant. The popularity of yellow cole flowers on social media made Fu realize they could attract visitors and raise the incomes of locals.

The sea of flowers is a signature tourism resource, but it is restricted by the single yellow color, Fu said, "which will cause aesthetic fatigue and gradually affect the sustainable development of the tourism industry".

Since 2017, Fu's team has genetically engineered color genes to create new colors.

Last year, the researchers developed flowers in 27 colors, including blue white, pinky white, blood red, as well as flowers with yellow, white and purple spots. This year saw nine new colors. Altogether 22 have been proved suitable for large-scale cultivation.

Fu said 12 provinces have pioneered planting the multicolored cole flowers. Many newspapers splash photos of colorful fields.

"We will step up efforts to explore the factors that can affect flower colors, and breed more new varieties with better colors and an oil yield at least the same as ordinary rapeseed," Fu said.