Page 172 - 2022 White Paper on the Business Environment in China
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2 White Paper on the Business Environment in China
them, whereas Chinese farmers still use sand for them under a national characteristic seed industry
seed germination. So, to transform the agricultural system. A digital plantation system also needs to
sector, the government should promote innovation be established so that farmers are able to know
to address the over-sowing problem, and allocate where and how to plant characteristic seeds.
more funds for R&D and ensure research results Different farmlands have different water, soil and
are put into practice (Wang). air conditions. With the digital system, farmers will
have better knowledge about local conditions, the
Quality seeds have played an important role in kind of seeds suitable for planting, the required
the development of China's agricultural industry. quantity and disease prevention. They will also be
Yet China has to depend on imports for the able to make crop forecasts (Zheng and Yuan).
further development of the agricultural sector.
More importantly, the US-triggered trade war has Finally, a group of seeds, including orchid
revealed some loopholes in China's seed security and sealwort, a kind of traditional Chinese herb,
and overall farming system. China has to purchase have been taken into space for breeding tests,
some farm products from other countries, which accompanying the three taikonauts in China’s
raises the cost of agricultural products at home. Shenzhou-12 manned spaceship, which docked
Which means China should take measures to with the country’s space station core module
better secure and diversify its seed sources. Of Tianhe in June 2021. This is China’s latest
course, China has the advantage of abundant experiment in space-induced mutation breeding,
natural resources and a huge expanse of land with which refers to the process of exposing seeds to
different climate conditions which make it ideal to conditions such as cosmic radiation in spaceflight,
preserve and use different types of seeds. The lack including recoverable satellites, and then sending
of attention to seed provenance in the past has them back to Earth for further observation
led to the decline in seed breeding in China. There and planting. China has been carrying out
have even been cases when wChina has imported space breeding for 34 years since its first space
seeds from abroad that actually originated in the breeding experiment in 1987 with a recoverable
country due to a lack of proper preservation of satellite, said Zhang Yunwei, a professor at the
agricultural resources. Therefore, the authorities College of Grassland Science and Technology of
should first take measures to better protect seed China Agricultural University (CAU). China is a
provenance and then cross-fertilize and develop powerhouse in breeding plants in space, Zhang
hybrid seeds without having to bother about added, explaining that various kinds of seeds
violating the intellectual property rights of foreign of plants, including rice, maize, wheat, rhodiola
entities. Besides, given the advanced technology rosea, and dendrobium officinale, have been
and heavy investments needed to develop seeds, taken into space. As of 2018, China had bred 42
enterprises and research institutions should join new rice varieties through space breeding. In
hands to take the mission forward. And since the 2006, a satellite named Shijian-8 returned to Earth
14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) has listed solving carrying 215 kg of seeds ranging from grains to
the "seed problem" as an important national task vegetables and fruits, the largest payload of its
for 2022, it is a certainty that China will better kind. Space breeding has helped to produce about
safeguard seed security in the future (Li, Quality). 200 new types of mutated plants in China that
have been approved for cultivation. Since 2009,
That being said, legislators have called for the National Engineering Research Center of
the creation of a national seed bank system to Plant Space Breeding of South China Agricultural
protect characteristic crops and seeds, resolve University and the CAAS have been engaging
farm-related issues and ensure grain security in research and application of space breeding
in the country. Currently, over 90% of the grass technology. In 2018, 14 research institutes,
seeds used for ecological construction, meadow including CAAS and CAU, established China’s
planting and city grasslands in the country are space breeding industry innovation alliance to
imported. To reduce overseas dependence, it is boost the commercialization of the technology. So
necessary to collect, identify, evaluate and protect far, at least 130 research institutes in the country
characteristic crops with local features and bring have participated in space breeding research (Du).
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them, whereas Chinese farmers still use sand for them under a national characteristic seed industry
seed germination. So, to transform the agricultural system. A digital plantation system also needs to
sector, the government should promote innovation be established so that farmers are able to know
to address the over-sowing problem, and allocate where and how to plant characteristic seeds.
more funds for R&D and ensure research results Different farmlands have different water, soil and
are put into practice (Wang). air conditions. With the digital system, farmers will
have better knowledge about local conditions, the
Quality seeds have played an important role in kind of seeds suitable for planting, the required
the development of China's agricultural industry. quantity and disease prevention. They will also be
Yet China has to depend on imports for the able to make crop forecasts (Zheng and Yuan).
further development of the agricultural sector.
More importantly, the US-triggered trade war has Finally, a group of seeds, including orchid
revealed some loopholes in China's seed security and sealwort, a kind of traditional Chinese herb,
and overall farming system. China has to purchase have been taken into space for breeding tests,
some farm products from other countries, which accompanying the three taikonauts in China’s
raises the cost of agricultural products at home. Shenzhou-12 manned spaceship, which docked
Which means China should take measures to with the country’s space station core module
better secure and diversify its seed sources. Of Tianhe in June 2021. This is China’s latest
course, China has the advantage of abundant experiment in space-induced mutation breeding,
natural resources and a huge expanse of land with which refers to the process of exposing seeds to
different climate conditions which make it ideal to conditions such as cosmic radiation in spaceflight,
preserve and use different types of seeds. The lack including recoverable satellites, and then sending
of attention to seed provenance in the past has them back to Earth for further observation
led to the decline in seed breeding in China. There and planting. China has been carrying out
have even been cases when wChina has imported space breeding for 34 years since its first space
seeds from abroad that actually originated in the breeding experiment in 1987 with a recoverable
country due to a lack of proper preservation of satellite, said Zhang Yunwei, a professor at the
agricultural resources. Therefore, the authorities College of Grassland Science and Technology of
should first take measures to better protect seed China Agricultural University (CAU). China is a
provenance and then cross-fertilize and develop powerhouse in breeding plants in space, Zhang
hybrid seeds without having to bother about added, explaining that various kinds of seeds
violating the intellectual property rights of foreign of plants, including rice, maize, wheat, rhodiola
entities. Besides, given the advanced technology rosea, and dendrobium officinale, have been
and heavy investments needed to develop seeds, taken into space. As of 2018, China had bred 42
enterprises and research institutions should join new rice varieties through space breeding. In
hands to take the mission forward. And since the 2006, a satellite named Shijian-8 returned to Earth
14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) has listed solving carrying 215 kg of seeds ranging from grains to
the "seed problem" as an important national task vegetables and fruits, the largest payload of its
for 2022, it is a certainty that China will better kind. Space breeding has helped to produce about
safeguard seed security in the future (Li, Quality). 200 new types of mutated plants in China that
have been approved for cultivation. Since 2009,
That being said, legislators have called for the National Engineering Research Center of
the creation of a national seed bank system to Plant Space Breeding of South China Agricultural
protect characteristic crops and seeds, resolve University and the CAAS have been engaging
farm-related issues and ensure grain security in research and application of space breeding
in the country. Currently, over 90% of the grass technology. In 2018, 14 research institutes,
seeds used for ecological construction, meadow including CAAS and CAU, established China’s
planting and city grasslands in the country are space breeding industry innovation alliance to
imported. To reduce overseas dependence, it is boost the commercialization of the technology. So
necessary to collect, identify, evaluate and protect far, at least 130 research institutes in the country
characteristic crops with local features and bring have participated in space breeding research (Du).
172
