Food security in a country depends on germplasm resources

Editor's note:

China is a big country in agricultural production and seed use.

The 2020 Central Economic Work Conference emphasized the need to "solve the problems of seeds and arable land", "strengthen the protection and utilization of germplasm resources, and strengthen the construction of seed banks"

Guests of this issue

Ma Shuping, Vice President of China Seed Association

Lai Jinsheng, Director and Professor, National Corn Improvement Center, China Agricultural University

Kong Xiangzhi, Professor, School of Agriculture and Rural Development, Renmin University of China

1.

Reporter: Please briefly introduce the development history of China's seed industry

Ma Shuping: The development of China's seed industry has generally gone through four stages: the first is the "four self and one supplement" stage (1949~1978).

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party and the government have attached great importance to the development of the modern crop seed industry and issued a series of policies and measures to build the "four beams and eight pillars" to support the development of the seed industry

The innovation capability of the seed industry has been significantly improved

Seed companies continue to grow

The variety of independent intellectual property rights is guaranteed

Kong Xiangzhi: Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China's seed industry laws and regulations have been gradually improved

Lai Jinsheng: Of course, China's seed industry still has shortcomings, such as low industrial concentration, low enthusiasm for investment in technological innovation, and a large gap between the overall technological level of enterprises and international seed industry groups; the efficiency of scientific and technological achievements conversion is partial.

2.

Reporter: The 2020 Central Economic Work Conference emphasized to strengthen the construction of seed banks and carry out technical research on the "stuck neck" of seed sources

Ma Shuping: Food security is a major issue related to food for 1.

Strengthen the collection, preservation and utilization of germplasm resources

Improve the independent innovation capability of the seed industry

Cultivate enterprises with core competitiveness
.
Promote enterprise mergers and reorganizations; encourage and support qualified seed companies to establish commercial breeding systems, make full use of public welfare research results, and carry out variety research and development in accordance with market-oriented and industrialized breeding models; introduce incentive policies to support breeding talents, resources, and achievements The flow of seed companies has gradually enabled them to become the main body of seed industry innovation; support innovative seed companies to enjoy policies such as tax incentives and post-R&D subsidies for scientific and technological enterprises
.

Optimize the development environment of the seed industry
.
Revise the "Regulations on the Protection of New Varieties of Plants" as soon as possible
.
Introduce the text content of the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV91), establish a “substantial derived variety system” to protect original innovations; strengthen market supervision and create a good business environment
.

Lai Jinsheng: Strengthening the construction of seed banks and carrying out technical research on seed source " stuck necks " are of great significance for ensuring national food security and ecological security, and enhancing the international competitiveness of agriculture
.
To fight a beautiful turnaround in the seed industry, we must actively advocate for the Chinese seed industry to go global, formulate a platform policy at the national level, and escort the seed industry to go global; it is necessary to optimize the technological innovation system of the seed industry, continuously stimulate innovation vitality, and do a good job.
Seed industry high-tech and high-end talent reserves, improve the seed industry policy and supervision system, protect the rights and interests of innovation subjects, stimulate the scientific and technological innovation motivation of scientific researchers and the willingness to move to seed companies; strengthen intellectual property protection, maintain a fair seed industry market order, and cultivate A group of innovative large-scale seed industry groups enhance international competitiveness
.

Kong Xiangzhi: In the process of accelerating the construction of a new development pattern today, it is more urgent for the country to ensure the safety of national food and important agricultural products.
It is more urgent for the cultivation of high-yield, high-efficiency, green, high-quality, water-saving, feeding-saving, and machine-friendly new varieties.
The requirements are higher
.

The breeding research and development of foreign multinational companies mostly adopt large-scale teamwork and specialized division of labor
.
However, China's breeding resources are mainly concentrated in agricultural research institutes and colleges.
Due to the limited germplasm resources, the limited manpower of the research team, and the lack of variety combinations
.
In addition, the flow mechanism of technological elements such as breeding talents and germplasm resources in China to seed companies is not smooth, and a market-oriented technology research and development system has not yet been formed, which greatly restricts the vitality of China's breeding research and development resources and hinders the overall level of the seed industry.
The promotion
.
These are all bottlenecks that should be effectively broken through
.

3.
The establishment of the “Innovation System for Seed Industry with Chinese Characteristics”

Reporter: The "Key Points for Promoting the Development of Modern Seed Industry in 2020" issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs proposes to comprehensively build a market-oriented, enterprise-based, and industry-university-research collaboration innovation system for the seed industry with Chinese characteristics
.
How to speed up the construction?

Kong Xiangzhi: It is necessary to accelerate the reform of the seed industry scientific research system and investment mechanism, scientifically determine the boundary between the basic research of the seed industry and commercial breeding, effectively mobilize the enthusiasm of scientific research institutions, colleges and universities, and seed companies; strengthen the construction of the national agricultural science and technology innovation alliance, Focus on solving major industry, industrial and regional key issues, integrate superior scientific and technological resources, focus on innovating operating mechanisms, and highlight synergy; accelerate the development of local seed companies, and continuously improve the world competitiveness and international voice of China's seed industry
.

Ma Shuping: First of all, we must clarify the division of labor
.
The basic public welfare technology research of the seed industry should be undertaken by the national scientific research and teaching unit; the application technology and variety innovation with breeding as the core should be undertaken by the enterprise through the market mechanism
.
The second is the innovative research model
.
For application technology innovation centered on varieties, seed companies should be the main body, innovate interest linkage mechanisms, establish commercial breeding models, and coordinate research; for seed industry "stuck neck" technology, superior scientific research and teaching units should be used as the main organization.
Advantageous seed companies jointly tackle key problems
.
Third, we must improve the legal support
.
It is suggested that the "Regulations on the Protection of New Varieties of Plants" should be upgraded to the Law on the Protection of New Varieties of Plants, and the legal status should be improved and protection efforts should be strengthened
.
In addition, policy support must be strengthened
.
Continue to increase capital investment; adopt incentive measures to make scientists "get rich"; and provide incentives for corporate research and development results through post-financial subsidies
.
Finally, it is necessary to reform the evaluation system of scientific and technological achievements, take the transformation of results as the guide, and guide more scientific research workers to write papers on the ground
.

Lai Jinsheng: At present, crops should be taken as the main research object, and seed scientific and technological innovation should be systematically deployed, covering material creation, variety cultivation, improved seed breeding and industrial application, integrating upstream, midstream and downstream forces, and implementing scientific and technological research on the entire industry chain of the seed industry.
Cultivate and transform breakthrough major new varieties, and build an innovative leading enterprise with core competitiveness
.

It is very important to adhere to the simultaneous development of basic research and applied research, promote the deep organic integration of scientific research and production, varieties and markets, and enhance the international competitiveness of China's seed industry
.
It is necessary to create a good institutional and policy environment to promote the effective integration of innovative elements
.
Guided by market demand, actively guide the orderly and two-way flow of scientific and technological resources of the seed industry, the achievements of scientific research institutions and talents to seed enterprises, so as to realize the sharing of resources between scientific research institutes, universities and seed enterprises
.