On August 8, Syngenta Group China’s R&D Center for Chinese Summer Maize was officially inaugurated in the Pingyuan Urban-Rural Demonstration Area of Xinxiang, Henan Province. As an important component of Syngenta Group China’s nationwide technological plan for the Chinese maize business, the R&D Center for Chinese Summer Maize is the Group’s first high-standard, systematic, and large-scale platform for the selection and breeding of new summer maize varieties in the Yellow River basin along the coast of the Huaihai Sea.

The R&D Center is equipped with internationally advanced agricultural machinery, fully automated production lines for experimental seeds, a germplasm resource bank, plant pathology labs, and other supporting facilities and equipment. It encompasses a high-standard experimental base of 520 mu (34.67 hectares), including a breeding nursery of 200 mu (13.33 hectares) and a variety evaluation and testing area of 320 mu (21.33 hectares). These facilities are mainly used for the selection and breeding of high-quality new maize varieties with multiple resistances and a high yield, for the comprehensive evaluation and screening of varieties resistant to diseases and insects, and for genetic identification and collection of the phenotypic data of basic germplasm resources for breeding. The researchers comprise a team of breeders& nursery staff, a testing and product evaluation team and a supporting department.

In addition, construction on Syngenta Group China’s R&D Center (Changchun) for Chinese Spring Maize commenced in Gongzhuling City on August 5. As one of the key projects in the National Agricultural High-Tech Industry Demonstration Zone in Changchun, Jilin Province, the project is being implemented by Sanbei Seed Co., Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Syngenta Group China. A total of 800 mu (53.33 hectares) of land for farm cultivation at the R&D Center will serve as the core test site for spring maize. Additionally, 5,000 square meters of land allocated for facilities will accommodate a low and ambient temperature seed bank, a threshing and processing workshop for breeding materials, and a laboratory. After completion, the project will expand its influence in spring maize production from Jilin to the northeast, northwest, and other northern regions in China.

The operations of the two R&D centers for spring and summer maize will help improve maize production, increase farmers’ income, and safeguard food security of the country through the selection, breeding, and regeneration of outstanding new varieties.