What new progress has been made in China's joint research on improved varieties of the four major crops?

It was recently learned from the Ministry of Agriculture that since China launched the major scientific research joint effort on improved varieties of the four major crops two years ago, remarkable results have been achieved. In particular, for corn and soybean, the two crops for which the joint effort was launched first, a number of breakthrough new varieties have already been bred and selected.

For a long time, mechanized corn harvesting in China could only remain at the stage of "harvesting ears" and could not directly "harvest kernels," which reduced the level of full mechanization; in recent years, wheat scab has occurred severely, causing relatively major losses, among other problems. In response to these problems, the joint effort on improved varieties has set its main goals based on production needs. Among the four major crops, corn will focus on varieties for mechanical kernel harvesting, soybean will aim for high-yield and high-protein varieties, wheat will initially focus on breeding scab-resistant varieties, and rice will make the breeding of light, simple, efficient, high-quality and safe varieties its main direction.

At present, after two years of joint effort, corn and soybean have already achieved breakthrough progress. For corn, varieties suitable for mechanical kernel harvesting have been bred and selected. Building on the joint effort work in 2015, this year trials of corn varieties suitable for mechanical kernel harvesting continued to be arranged in the main corn production areas of Northeast China and the Huang-Huai-Hai region. Among them, 11 varieties that have completed the regional trial and production trial procedures have relatively excellent comprehensive traits, with kernel moisture content at harvest of 25%-28% and strong lodging resistance, meeting the requirements for mechanical kernel harvesting varieties, and they are expected to pass approval early next year. In soybean variety breeding, the soybean joint effort consortium continued to carry out large-scale demonstrations of promising varieties in the main production areas of the Huang-Huai-Hai region, Northeast China and Northwest China. Combined with green, high-yield and efficient soybean technology, a group of new soybean varieties with good comprehensive traits and yields of more than 200 kg per mu were selected. Among them, Jiyu 86 reached a yield of 400 kg per mu at the ** Academy of Land Reclamation Sciences experimental station, and Jidou 17 reached a yield of 352 kg per mu in Dabaixiang, Hengshui, Hebei.

At the same time, the joint effort on improved varieties has also identified and discovered a group of excellent germplasm resources and inbred lines, including, for corn, more than 600 excellent corn germplasm resources with disease resistance, drought resistance, lodging resistance and high nitrogen use efficiency, 22 new inbred lines, and 174 DH lines. For wheat, at 12 trial sites, 912 wheat breeding materials were identified for disease and insect resistance, and 4 new germplasms with moderate resistance to scab have been selected; the new germplasm selected by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences from distant hybridization progeny of wheat and wheatgrass has outstanding stress-resistant and high-yield traits. (Reporter Jiang Na)