The Economic Crops Research Institute at the Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences (XAAS) was established in February 1979. It is mainly responsible for the genetic breeding, model cultivation, variety resources and new varieties, and new technology demonstration and promotion of economic crops such as cotton, sugar beet, rapeseed, oil sunflower, safflower, and Chinese herbal medicine. Over the years, it has contributed to improving the production level of cotton, oil, and sugar in the autonomous region and promoting the development of agricultural production.
The institute currently has nine research laboratories: long-staple cotton breeding, early-maturing upland cotton breeding, early-medium-maturing upland cotton breeding, cotton physiological cultivation, cotton resources, beet breeding and cultivation, rapeseed safflower, sunflower breeding, and laboratory. It also has management departments, including finance, science management, and office administration. Additionally, it houses the Xinjiang Cotton Research Institute and the Xinjiang Sugar Beet Improvement Center. The Urumqi National Cotton Improvement Sub-Center and the Urumqi Sub-Center of the National Sugar Improvement Center have been established within the institute. The Xinjiang Cotton Society is affiliated with the institute. The institute has 64 employees.
More information (in Chinese): http://www.xaas.ac.cn/zzjg/kyjg/mhyjs.htm.
