The Institute of Crop Breeding and Cultivation of the Qinghai Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences (QAAFS) is a comprehensive agricultural research institute specializing in the breeding and cultivation of five major crops in Qinghai Province: wheat, barley, broad beans, peas, and corn. With a history of nearly 70 years, it is the largest agricultural research and technology institute in the province. The institute focuses on research related to crop genetic resources, breeding and cultivation techniques, germplasm resource collection, evaluation, innovation, and utilization, as well as the development and application of high-yield, high-quality, and high-efficiency crop production technologies. It also plays a key role in the transformation of scientific and technological achievements.
The institute currently operates eight specialized research laboratories: the Wheat Research Laboratory, Highland Barley Research Laboratory, Broad Bean Research Laboratory, Pea Research Laboratory, Agricultural Product Processing Research Laboratory, Variety Resource Research Laboratory, New Plant Variety Protection Research Laboratory, and the Achievement Transformation Research Laboratory. It also hosts several national and provincial research platforms, including the National Germplasm Resources Long-Term Replication Bank, the Qinghai Scientific Observation and Experimental Station for Crop Genetic Resources and Germplasm Creation of MARA, the Qinghai Highland Barley Branch of the National Wheat Improvement Center, and the New Plant Variety Testing (Xining) Branch of MARA. Additionally, it is involved in the National Barley and Highland Barley Industry Technology System, the National Edible Bean Industry Technology System, the Qinghai Wheat Industry Technology R&D Platform, the Qinghai Broad Bean Industry Technology R&D Platform, the Qinghai Highland Barley Genetics and Breeding Key Laboratory, the Qinghai Agricultural Product Processing Key Laboratory, and the Dryland Agriculture Comprehensive Experiment Station.
The institute currently has 31 employees. It manages nearly 130 demonstration sites for new crop variety technologies, with an annual demonstration area of approximately 500,000 mu and a cumulative demonstration area of 8 million mu. The high-yield and high-quality highland barley varieties Kunlun No. 14 and Kunlun No. 15 have been demonstrated on 2.3 million mu, with a cumulative promotion area of 9.2 million mu, accounting for 57% of the total highland barley planting area in the province. The new winter wheat variety Qingmai No. 6 represents 40% of the province’s winter wheat planting area.
More information (in Chinese): https://nky.qhu.edu.cn/jgsz/kxyjbm/19199.htm.
