The Institute of Crops and Nuclear Technology Utilization at Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences (ZAAS) has its origins in the Zhejiang Agricultural Experiment Farm, established in 1908, and the Isotope Lab at Zhejiang College for Agriculture, founded in 1958. Today, it is a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary institute focused on crop research. Its primary research areas include the development and utilization of germplasm for bulk crops such as rice, wheat, barley, canola, soybean, cotton, sweet potato, maize, and others, as well as breeding new cultivars, molecular breeding, supporting cultivation techniques, and value-added technologies. The institute is home to 15 research groups and manages 3 national research centers: the Centers for Barley Improvement, Soybean Improvement, and Rice Improvement. It also operates the provincial Laboratory for Digital Upland Crops and the Zhejiang Radiation Center. The institute employs 86 staff members, with 19 of its crop cultivars and 33 technologies adopted by the province as leading cultivars and technologies for recommendation. In addition, the institute has sent 127 scientists across the province to support local agricultural development. Every year, it establishes over 100 demonstration fields throughout the province, with its cultivars and technologies being planted and applied on more than 60 hectares of farmland.
More information (in Chinese): http://www.zaas.ac.cn.
