On August 29, the Seed Industry Management Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), along with the National Agricultural Technology Extension and Service Centre and MARA’s Science and Technology Development Centre, convened the National Conference on Strengthening Variety Management in Chongqing.
The meeting highlighted the country’s efforts in breeding innovation and variety management, resulting in the introduction of a number of new high-quality and high-yield varieties
This included drought- and disease-resistant wheat, machine-harvestable corn, and high-oil, high-protein soybeans.
Despite this progress, the meeting highlighted ongoing problems, including superficial imitation and homogenisation of varieties.
“Targeted and robust measures must be taken to address these problems, crack down on imitative breeding practices, and encourage original innovation in breeding,” said MARA in a statement.
Highlighting a full-chain variety management action plan, the authorities were called on to deepen efforts across key areas.
Priority areas included improving germplasm use, accelerating breeding innovation, tightening trial and approval processes, phasing out underperforming varieties, and bolstering intellectual property protection.
“The goal is to implement the action plan thoroughly, reduce the number of varieties with no market value, and eliminate unnecessary ‘inflation’ in the approval system. The aim is to make substantial progress in resolving variety homogenisation issues within three years.”
There was an emphasis on prioritising full-chain variety management as a key task in the seed industry revitalisation drive.
It urged stronger coordination between provincial and national departments, close attention to key tasks and timelines, and detailed, actionable plans.
“With higher standards, stricter requirements, and more practical measures, all tasks under the action plan should be implemented in a checklist-based, closed-loop manner to ensure tangible results.”
Launch of new platform
The launch of National Crop Germplasm Resources Management and Sharing Platform was announced during the meeting.
The new digital platform aims to improve the sharing and management of crop germplasm resources in a move aimed at supporting breeding innovation and agricultural research.
The platform currently provides access to basic information on more than 300,000 germplasm resources from 26 crops, including rice, maize, soybean, wheat, and vegetables.
It also indicates the sharing status, application channels, and supplying institutions for each resource, making it easier for breeding institutes, seed companies, and researchers to obtain the materials they need.
MARA said it will continue to work to optimise platform functions, improve search accuracy, and accelerate the exchange of high-quality resources.
The initiative is expected to provide stronger technical support for the breeding and promotion of breakthrough crop varieties.
