The Institute of Microbiology of the Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, established in 1979, is the only provincial-level institute in Xinjiang dedicated to agricultural microbiology. It focuses on exploring microbial resources in extreme environments, developing beneficial crop- and feed-related microorganisms, advancing microbial fertilizers and bio-organic waste recycling, and building microbial detection and evaluation technologies. The institute hosts five innovation teams working on microbial resource discovery, crop–microbe interactions, biofertilizers, biocontrol agents, and animal probiotics. With nearly 60 staff members, including more than 30 PhD researchers, it has become a leading center for microbial innovation in Northwest China.
The institute underpins national and international platforms such as the MARA Urumqi Agricultural Microorganism Observation Station, the National Microbial Resource Sub-Platform for Agriculture, the China–Armenia Biotechnology R&D Center, and the Xinjiang Laboratory for Special-Environment Microorganisms. It maintains a state-of-the-art 2,500 m² research facility with a microbial culture collection, a fermentation pilot workshop, and more than 50 advanced instruments, including full-scale liquid and solid fermentation systems (5 L–10,000 L), enabling pilot-scale R&D and production of microbial inoculants and fermented products.
Over the past decades, the institute has carried out more than 100 major national and regional projects (including “863,” “973,” and National Key R&D Programs), published over 700 papers (nearly 100 SCI), and obtained 56 invention patents. Research has generated important outcomes in areas such as radiation-resistant microbes, biocontrol of cotton pests, efficient use of cotton straw as feed, and industrial fermentation processes. Several of its technologies and products have been widely adopted, providing significant economic, social, and ecological benefits.
More information (in Chinese): http://www.xaas.ac.cn/zzjg/kyjg/wswyjs/sqgk/dwjj.htm.
