Moreover, the heavy rains and intense heat of tropical areas rob the soil of its nutrients, and crop blight is always a worry. Vegetables thus made a logical choice, with tomatoes, Chinese cabbage, sweet potatoes, soybeans, and green lentils being the primary crops.
「但人不能光靠稻米而活，稻米缺乏我們所需的維他命、礦物質和植物性蛋白質，而蔬菜可以彌補這個缺憾」，孫博士分析：「可是，熱帶地區的高溫和大雨常破壞土壤中的養分，加上病蟲害的威脅，使得蔬菜質、量不佳，因此便須集中火力，以蔬菜為研究重點。」