WANG Huizhong, Deputy Secretary of Communist Party of China (CPC) Zhejiang Provincial Committee, inspected Zhejiang University -Zhijiang Bioseed Research and Development Centre (ZJU-Zhijiang Centre), located on the Yuhang Hitech Agricultural Park on September 3, 2014.
Professor SHU Qingyao of College of Agriculture and Biotechnology (CAB) of Zhejiang University (ZJU) briefed the delegates led by Mr. WANG on the mission of the Centre and the molecular design rice breeding system, demonstrated the procedure and facilities used for rice doubled haploid production, and reported to them about the achievements on applying these technologies to super-yielding hybrid rice breeding. Mr. WANG raised questions from time to time, such as the technological advantages, the quality of new rice varieties, and the status on commercialization of these varieties; he was much inspired by learning the progresses made in the Centre. Mr. WANG said that there is still some distance in crop breeding and seed technology from advanced countries, and there is fierce competition with multinational seed companies. He stressed that joint research between universities and enterprises is an important way to diminish such gaps, and encouraged the Centre to produce more tangible achievement towards commercialization. Mr. WANG further pointed out that top research institutes like Zhejiang University should distinguish themselves from other institutes by dedicating to high-tech and advanced researches, but at the meantime, such work should directly respond to the practical development of agricultural production and cooperate with the industry.
The ZJU-ZhiijiangCentre was jointly established in 2011 by the Faculty of Agriculture, Enviromental and Life Sciences of Zhejiang University and Zhejiang Zhijiang Seed Company. It aims to develop innovative technologies for crop breeding and seed processing, as well as breeding high yield, disease resistant hybrid rice varieties with fine grain quality. Since then significant progress has been made; three invention patents have been filed and a number of new hybrid rice varieties, such as Jiangzheyou 201 and 202, have been released for multi-location testing in Zhejiang and other provinces (Sichuan, Jiangsu, Anhui), showing great potential of commercialization.
