China has to address need to develop germ plasm resources

Dai Xiaofeng, a researcher at the

Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, spoke with Xinhua News Agency about the importance of developing seed varieties.

Why is building seed banks so important?

Germ plasm resources are carriers of genetic codes (genes). Whoever owns them — and the more, the better — can breed different kinds of new varieties. Germ plasm resources are to breeding and agricultural production as bricks and stones are to building a house. There will be no seed or agriculture in the absence of germ plasm resources. As a vast country that has to protect the “rice bowl” for 1.4 billion people, we must keep the seed resources in control. The world has entered into an era that whoever conquers the seed industry wins. In that case, seed banks, as a platform of the industry, has a strategic significance.

What efforts are still needed to ensure that Chinese people can eat well?

Firstly, we need to adjust the structure of the whole industry chain including procedures of planting and breeding, keeping food fresh, processing, storing and delivering. Secondly, we have to optimize the agricultural space and regional distribution by figuring out which parts are suitable for growing which kind of crops, for instance. Thirdly, we should increase the number of varieties to meet various market demand. And last but not least, we need to ensure we are creating high-quality varieties to meet consumer demand for nutritious food and to help provide them with an enjoyable, customized diet.

How long will it take before people can eat cherries locally grown in China, which are currently imported from other countries and sold at high prices?

A single seed can change the world. A new variety is introduced in small quantities at first and later planted in a large area. It takes time to grasp a complete set of growing techniques and cultivate it into a localized or even better variety. Today’s staple crops, including wheat, corn, potato and sweet potato, have all been introduced from other countries during different historical periods in accordance with the development law. So will the breeding of new cherry varieties.

What new challenges is the seed industry facing?

Trade protectionism and deglobalization trends have posed challenges. Seed breeding is the key to ensuring national food security, and we should guarantee that we are growing Chinese seeds. In addition, we need to upgrade varieties, breeding techniques, agricultural machinery and agronomy to improve productivity and international competitiveness so that we can reverse the dependence on imports of a few varieties.

In the future, it is necessary to maintain an annual output increase of 1 percent to meet the demand for population growth. China is leading the world in wheat and rice yields. There is great potential for increasing yields of corn and soybeans, which will be the focus of our efforts.