In 2016，the MoA implemented the decisions and deployment of “speeding up the promotion of modern seed industry development” by the central No. 1 document, guided by the concepts of innovated, coordinated, green, inclusive and shared development, kept a foothold on providing service for agricultural supply-side structural reform, deepened seed industry system reform, sped up variety innovation, implemented Seed Law, and enhanced management and service, as modern seed industry development took on a good momentum.
1.Seed industry talent development and achievement right reform deeply promoted In order to consolidate and expand the pilot achievement for seed industry right reform since 2014，the MoA, in July, along with Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security to coissue the Opinion on Expanding Pilot on Seed Industry Talent Development and Scientific Research Achievement Right Reform, held national video conference to make deployment and urge implementation, and promoted reform pilot in the whole nation “from point to surface”，which achieved positive effects. As of end of 2016, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, and 20 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under central government) including Hubei, Shaanxi, Guangdong and Hainan successively enacted and issued reform plans or forwarded documents. Pilot scope was further expanded, as the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences included 16 and 8 respective affiliated seed industry research centers into pilot plan, China Agricultural University promoted the pilot experience of its corn center to the whole university, provinces such as Hunan included all seed industry scientific research institutions and universities into the pilot plan, and formed the good situation in which more than 100 seed industry related scientific research institutions and universities nationwide promoted reform pilot at the same time. Initially formed a batch of new models and new achievements in reform pilot, for example, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences improved the classified evaluation and performance appraisal system for scientific research personnel, and enacted classified evaluation standards based on different research directions; China Rice Research Center organized in-depth docking of cross-subject breeding team and enterprises, and enhanced cooperation between science institutions and enterprises; Vegetable center of Beijing Agriculture and Forestry Science Academy set up joint-stock company funded mainly by scientific research personnel, and considered the interests of there parties, i.e., enterprises, organization and scientific research personnel; Jiangsu Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences set up seed industry research institution (business entity), and transformed the seeds to the sales of intellectual property; Zhejiang Province organized auction for agricultural science and technology achievements, and 10 new varieties from the Zhejiang Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences were sold with a high premium.
2.Sped up the construction of national seed breeding base and regional base Firstly, the construction of three major national seed production bases was comprehensively earned out. According to the requirement of the Construction Planning (Year 2015-2025) of National Nanfan Scientific Research Breeding Base (Hainan), coissued by four ministries including MoA and Hainan provincial government at end of 2015, Hainan Province already completed the division of 17 900 hectares of Nanfan protection area, and finished information database, completed the land rights confirmation in core areas of the project, improved management organizations in three cities (counties) of Sanya, Ledong and Lingshui, and the construction of the base was steadily and orderly advanced. The completed division of Nanfan protection area marked that the only precious Nanfan scientific research land in the country was included into permanent basic farmland, which would be subject to use regulation and would receive strict protection, providing a stable base for Nanfan project, which aims to boost seed industry development taking advantage of the special conditions of China’s southern Hainan Province. In May 2016, the National Development and Reform Commission officially completed the project reviewing and approval of Sichuan national hybrid rice seed production base construction project, with a total investment of 369 million yuan, among which 263 million yuan was from central investment. The project aimed to transform an area of 18 000 hectares of standardized hybrid rice seed production base, in ways of implementing land leveling, farmland water conservancy, field roads and farmland protection forest projects. In 2016, central finance respectively allocated project construction fund of 200 million yuan and 50 million yuan to Gansu Province and Sichuan Province, as Gansu implemented base construction task on an area of 11 100 hectares, while Sichuan implemented on an area of 3 000 hectares, with seed production capacity and supply guarantee ability at the bases rapidly growing. Secondly, implemented expanded reward for major seed production counties. The Ministry of Finance continued to implement reward for major counties, and further expanded the reward scope, which grew from 20 counties to 35 counties, with reward and subsidy fund increasing from 300 million yuan to 400 million yuan. Thirdly, launched identification for regional fine variety breeding bases. In order to implement the relevant requirements of the “Thirteenth Five-Year ” layout plan and the 2016 central No. 1 document, promote agricultural supply-side structural reform, and promote the healthy, coordinated development of grain, commercial crop and characteristic crop industries, the MoA, with the focus on cotton, oil, sugar, fruit, vegetable and tea, among others, launched the identification work for the first batch of regional fine variety breeding bases.
3.Tackling key problems of fine variety of four major crops achieved new breakthroughs In 2016, on the basis of continuous implementation of joint tackling of key problems in corn and soybean fine varieties, the MoA launched joint tackling for rice and wheat, and with the joint efforts of expert committee and membership units, various tasks were solidly promoted and yielded obvious achievements.
1)The new varieties of machine-harvest kernel corn and high-yield soybean achieved major breakthroughs, supporting and promoting the reform of agricultural mode of production. The tackling of difficult questions in corn breeding continued, as machine-harvest kernel corn variety experiment was carried out in Northeast China and Huang-Huai-Hai River area, with 57 varieties experimented in 39 experiment stations, and eight varieties including Jidan 66 took on comprehensive good characters, with kernel’s water content reaching 25 percent to 28 percent when harvested by machines, lodging-resistant, dense planting resistant, which conforms to the examination and approval requirement of machine-harvest kernel variety. On soybean tackling, conducted field test for more than 300 varieties under mass production condition, selected varieties including Jiyu 86，which had a yield of over 400 kilograms per mu (1 mu=0.066 666 7 hectare), Jidou 17 and Zhonghuang 301, which had a yield of over 300 kilograms per mu, all higher than yield of the soybean in the United States at the same latitude.
2)Discovered and innovated a new batch of elite germplasm and selfing line, which effectively expanded the foundation of breeding germplasm. On corn tackling, identified 5 897 breeding materials, selected 666 germplasms with drought-resisting, high utilization of nitrogen, and stalk rot resisting features, and innovated 22 selfing lines. On soybean tackling, identified 3 550 germplasm resources, selected 172 germplasms with high-protein, high-oil, high anti- mosaic virus, and drought-resisting features, and innovated 411 new materials. On wheat tackling, identified 912 germplasm resources, and selected four new materials of antigibberellic disease. On rice tackling, selected high-quality sterile line such as 106A and Zhong 18S, and rice blast resistant new materials such as Guangdong farmers，silk seedlings.
3)Cultivated a batch of emerging varieties to enter regional experiment. In tackling difficult problems in corn, soybean and wheat breeding, carried out variety comparison test in North China, Huang-Huai-Hai River area, and middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River, identified 12 628 new combinations and strains, and selected 272 emerging varieties. On wheat tackling, launched regional variety experiment in 65 experiment stations, and tested 41 varieties.
4)Authorized to protect a batch of new varieties and new materials. Opened the green channel for new variety protection, carried out the substantive examination and DUS (distinctness, uniformity and stability) test for 624 newly bred varieties, selfing lines and parents of four major crops, gained protection of variety rights for 293 varieties, which effectively motivated breeding innovation, and laid foundation for speeding up the construction of difficulty tackling mechanism with resource sharing and proportionately sharing of earnings.
The mode and mechanism of fine variety joint tackling were constantly improved, preliminarily formed a joint tackling new mode, oriented by industry demand, guided by expert committee, based on joint tackling team, with enterprises as subjects, and with the support of four major platforms, i.e., germplasm discovery, molecular detection, commercialized breeding and new variety testing, which realized the combination of government, industry, university and research institution, gradually showing the system advantages of concentrating forces to do big things.
4.The third national crop germplasm resource census and collection action reached periodical success In July 2015，the MoA launched the third national crop germplasm resource census and collection action, and first implemented in Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi and Chongqing provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under central government). In 2016, on the basis of continuously well conducting the crop germplasm resource systematic investigation and salvage collection, identification, evaluation, writing into catalogue and including into warehouse preservation at the four regions, the MoA launched relevant work in Jiangsu and Guangdong provinces.
1) Over-fulfilled the task of germplasm resource census and collection. Completed the comprehensive census of germplasm resources in 140 agricultural counties (cities and districts) of Jiangsu and Guangdong, and systematic investigations in six provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under central government) including Hubei and Jiangsu. Basically made clear the distribution area, ecological environment, historical evolution, state of endangerment, and conservation status of the various crops’ germplasm, among other information, and also the distribution area, main features, farmers’ cognition, and other basic situations of ancient local varieties, and collected 11 973 germplasm resources of ancient local varieties, wild kindred plants, and rare and endangered wild plants. The counties that conducted systematic investigations increased by 18.6 percent compared with original plan, and the germplasm resources collected increased by 14 percent.
2) Discovered a batch of germplasm resources with important utilization value. Newly discovered a large batch of ancient local varieties including Diling red glutinous rice, kidney-benefiting fruit, Dilong white water pack, sandalwood olive and konjaku, and a batch of rare, endangered or unique resources including medicinal wild rice, sea rice, wild kiwi fruit, and wild pear tree, among which there is no lack of germplasm resources with major utilization prospect.
3) The identification, evaluation, writing into catalogue and putting into warehouse of germplasm resources was orderly carried out. For the germplasm resources collected in Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi and Chongqing in 2015, made planting identification and evaluation on basic biological characteristics in suitable ecological zones, bred seeds, via clearing up, integrating and along with farmers5 recognition, wrote into catalogue. In 2016, identified 4 571 germplasm resources, which will be further identified, verified and evaluated in 2017，and be catalogued and preserved.
4) Census and collection database of crop germplasm resources further improved. Developed “filling system for germplasm resources investigation data”，germplasm resources identification, evaluation and catalogue database, and gained one soft copyright; Enacted reviewing and exchange technical specification for census, collection, systematic investigations and salvage collection data, and realized digital, standardized and scientific census and collection data.
5)The whole society paid much more attention and support for germplasm resources census and collection. The launch of germplasm resources census and collection enhanced public’s awareness and promoted action in protecting germplasm resources, which promoted the strengthened attention and support from local government. The modern seed industry promotion project of Guangdong Province arranged 3.2 million yuan of special fund, the Chongqing municipal government increased investment of 3.5 million yuan, to support census and collection work, and agricultural departments in provinces including Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi and Jiangsu were in the process of including crop germplasm resources protection into local agricultural development plan, in order to realize sustainable development of germplasm resources protection and utilization. Huining TV of Jiangsu Province conducted whole-process tracking report, and made a germplasm resources census and collection feature video with the theme of “keeping old seed and continuing new life”.
