The Institute hosts talents from both home and abroad, aligning with the national strategic endeavors in genetic improvement of staple crops for sustainable agriculture.

Strides were made in breaking the technological bottleneck on wheat germplasm sources, and remarkable progress was achieved in hybrid breeding technology for wheat, secured five granted patents in the United States, Russia, and Canada.

Research on integrated weed management for soybeans and maize strip intercropping has made significant contributions to the nation's strategic initiative of "stabilizing grain and increasing soybeans." The research offered solution for global challenges in controlling weedy relatives in wheat, and weeds in the intercropping of maize and soybeans, drastically reducing cropping cost, and aiming the realization of  the strategic target of "stabilizing staple grain and expanding soybeans." In the years 2022-2023, this model was tested and applied across 20Kht in the Huang-Huai-Hai region, and four new maize hybrids suitable for intercropping systems were bred and submitted for national variety approval.

Breeding by precise molecular design (Breeding 4.0) for fruit and vegetable cash crops has had promising results. A bioinformatics platform mapped two complete genomes of kiwifruit and successfully identified the key regulatory mechanisms affecting the sweetness and vitamin C content in kiwifruit. A highly efficient genetic transformation system was established, making kiwi adaptable to hybrid and mutagenesis breeding strategies as annual crops. This breakthrough removed all technical barriers in the Breeding 4.0 system for kiwi. Additionally, Crop Genetics and Germplasm Innovation Platform established the super-pan-genomes of all watermelon species and a gene-editing technique system, establishing three core technologies for precision design breeding. This signifies that cucurbit crops, represented by watermelon, are rapidly entering the era of precision-designed Breeding 4.0.

A series of breakthroughs was made in breeding new crop varieties. New varieties of multiple crop types including watermelon, cucumber, pumpkin, and potted tomatoes were developed by Crop Genetics and Germplasm Innovation Platform, with 12 applications submitted for new plant variety protection.

In smart farming machinery, a pioneering intelligent weed recognition algorithm was created. This facilitated precision weed recognition and pesticide application for smart weed exterminators, and the complimentary development of robotic machinery and tractor-towed precision sprayers, equating to real-time recognition and precise chemical application for crops or weeds in fields. In addition, smart greenhouse software was developed, employing unmanned vehicles or railcars for pest and disease detection and location in crops. With an app, effective early warnings and notifications can be sent out for pest and disease outbreaks.

A total of 181 research papers have been published in top-tier journals including Cell, Nature, Science, Nature Genetics, Molecular Plant, and Plant Cell. The institute applied for 67 national and international patents, with 5 international and 24 domestic patents granted, applied for 21 new plant variety protection, and submitted 8 staple crop varieties for approval.

By 2023, commercial rights of four watermelon varieties and five potted tomato varieties were granted to enterprises in Weifang. Four technical transfer contracts were completed, amounting to a total of RMB 4.35 million.

 

 

 

Exhibition of Research Achievements at the Institute