The Fruit and Tea Research Institute of the Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences was founded in 1950. The institute focuses on the collection, preservation, evaluation, and utilization of germplasm resources of fruit trees and tea trees. It conducts research on key technologies such as the genetic breeding of fruit trees and tea trees, cultivation patterns, and the principles and equipment used in processing. The institute also investigates, predicts, forecasts, and works on the prevention and control of pests, diseases, and weeds affecting fruit trees and tea trees. Additionally, it contributes to the formulation of standards related to fruit trees and tea, quality analysis, safety testing, and risk tracking. It works on building a standard system for the key fruit tree and tea brand names in Hubei Province, along with publicizing and promoting them. Furthermore, the institute is involved in the transformation of scientific and technological achievements and in providing guidance for agricultural technology training.
The institute’s research objects cover a wide range of fruit and tea species, including tea trees, citrus, peaches, pears, kiwifruit, grapes, chestnuts, blueberries, prunes, loquats, persimmons, walnuts, and oleaginous peonies. The institute has 247 employees and operates five research laboratories focusing on pear, citrus, specialty fruit, tea breeding and cultivation, tea processing and comprehensive utilization. It also manages a fruit and tea experimental station (Jinshui base).
The institute has five national scientific research platforms, including the National Fruit Tree Germplasm Wuchang Sand Pear Nursery and the National Kiwifruit Germplasm Resource Nursery (Wuhan). It also has six provincial engineering technology research centers dedicated to tea, pears, and grapes, as well as 13 provincial university-enterprise joint research and development centers.
In Nanhu, the institute maintains a 40-mu fruit and tea science and technology show garden, a 5000 m² greenhouse net room, and a 200 m³ fruit and tea storage and preservation cold storage. In Jiangxia Jinshuiza, it has a 500-mu fruit tree experimental garden, a 375-mu tea experimental garden, a 1200 m² tea processing plant, and a nursery for fruit tree and tea tree seeds. Notably, the Wuchang pear nursery preservation is the world’s largest pear gene pool.
More information (in Chinese): http://www.hbaas.ac.cn/guochasuo/.
