China bred new varieties of grain and cash crops during the 12th Five-Year Plan period

In recent years, China has made important breakthroughs in independent innovation in crop varieties and in tackling key production technologies. During the “12th Five-Year Plan” period, more than 370 new varieties of grain and cash crops were bred, forming a number of major original achievements and laying the foundation for the “ten consecutive increases” in grain output.

This was learned by reporters at a press conference held on the 10th by the Information Office of the Ministry of Agriculture.

Tang Ke, director of the Department of Science, Technology and Education of the Ministry of Agriculture, said at the press conference that in recent years China has cultivated a large number of new crop varieties with high per-unit yields, good quality and strong stress resistance. The high-quality fragrant rice varieties cultivated account for more than 70% of the domestic high-grade fragrant rice market, breaking the monopoly of foreign varieties in the high-grade rice market; the new wheat variety Jimai 22 accounts for 12% of the country's total wheat planting area; and a series of new corn varieties cultivated have repeatedly set large-area high-yield records in the Huang-Huai-Hai and other regions. In addition, 23 new livestock and poultry varieties, 35 new forage varieties and 19 new aquaculture varieties were also cultivated.

According to the introduction, China has developed a number of light, simplified and standardized advanced practical technologies. The developed deep-loosening high-yield corn cultivation technology increased the average corn yield in demonstration areas by 150 kg per mu; a large number of efficient, lightweight and labor-saving agricultural mechanization equipment were developed; and a number of major crop pest and disease prevention and control technologies were integrated, effectively enhancing the ability to prevent and reduce disasters in agricultural production.

Tang Ke pointed out that in 2013 the contribution rate of China's agricultural science and technology progress reached 55.2%. New progress in agricultural science and technology was also reflected in the notable results achieved in the reform and construction of the grassroots agricultural technology extension system, the establishment of a platform for the transformation and trading of agricultural science and technology achievements, new progress in the construction of agricultural research platforms and innovative talent teams, and the building of a new-type professional farmer cultivation system, which injected source momentum and new vitality into agricultural production.