The Horticulture Research Institute of the Qinghai Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences (QAAFS) is the supporting unit of the National Bulk Vegetable Industry Technology System Xining Comprehensive Experiment Station, the Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Vegetable Genetics and Physiology, the Shanghai-Qinghai Vegetable Germplasm Resources Innovation and Genomics Joint Laboratory, and the Qinghai Provincial Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Science and Technology Innovation Horticulture Industry Transformation R&D Platform. It also serves as a training platform for Qinghai University’s academic master’s and doctoral degree programs in crop science and the professional master’s degree program in agronomy and seed industry.
The institute consists of eight specialized departments, including the Breeding Research Office, Jerusalem Artichoke Research and Development Center, Cultivation and Physiology and Biochemistry Research Office, Facility Horticulture Research Office, and Germplasm Resources Research Office. It has established three research teams focused on bulk vegetables, horticultural crop cultivation, and specialty horticultural crops. As of 2023, the institute had 19 employees. Its main research areas include genetic breeding of plateau-specific horticultural crops, facility horticulture, and green ecological cultivation. As a provincial-level horticultural research and teaching institution, it integrates scientific and technological innovation, talent training, cooperation and exchange, and the transformation of research achievements. The institute plays a key role in supporting the horticultural industry in Qinghai Province.
The institute is equipped with research facilities such as the Vegetable Genetics and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Vegetable Physiology and Biochemistry Laboratory, Vegetable Tissue and Cell Engineering Laboratory, Vegetable Pathology Laboratory, and Field Laboratory. It manages 120 mu of experimental fields, including 25 solar greenhouses (11,200 m²), 11 plastic greenhouses (5,400 m²), one smart multi-span greenhouse (500 m²), and two multi-span plastic arch sheds (5,000 m²). Additionally, it has a 180 m² seed processing test workshop and a 400 m² post-harvest storage and processing workshop, both equipped with a smart digital monitoring system and an integrated water and fertilizer system. Leveraging the unique climate and resource advantages of the Qinghai Plateau, the institute conducts research on the genetic mechanisms and breeding of emerging vegetable crops such as Jerusalem artichoke and chicory.
More information (in Chinese): https://nky.qhu.edu.cn/jgsz/kxyjbm/3613b029a6424f5db7f9c293ff7f72b6.htm.
