Speed up the breeding of potato varieties to support the development of potato staple food products and industry

On March 2, Vice Minister Yu Xinrong of the Ministry of Agriculture went to the vegetable and Flower Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences to investigate the selection and breeding of potato staple food products and industrial development varieties, and held a forum to listen to the research progress. Yu Xinrong stressed: it is necessary to strengthen confidence in the development of the main grain of potatoes, aim at international frontiers and industrial needs, increase scientific and technological innovation, make new breakthroughs in the selection and breeding of improved varieties, and accelerate the pace of industrialization. we will further ensure national food security, increase farmers' income, and meet the nutritional and health needs of the people.

Yu Xinrong successively came to the greenhouse, tissue culture room and laboratory of the vegetable and Flower Research Institute to examine and understand in detail the potato virus-free technology and miniature seed potato, potato staple food variety materials, potato cultivation technology, potato genomics research and molecular breeding, and is very concerned about the breeding of potato staple food products. According to researcher Zhang Zhonghua, potato cross breeding usually takes more than 10 years. In order to speed up the breeding of potato staple food varieties, the use of molecular breeding techniques to improve potato variety characters can greatly shorten the breeding years. Yu Xinrong was very happy to hear this. He pointed out that the development of potato staple food products and industries has been placed at a strategic and overall level, and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences has clear ideas, clear goals, effective measures, and exciting results, and it is necessary to further strengthen scientific and technological innovation and joint cooperation. new breakthroughs have been made in breeding, planting, processing and other supporting technologies.

After listening to the report on the innovation of potato breeding, Yu Xinrong stressed that potato is not only a grain, but also a vegetable, but also a nutritious food, with great production potential and consumption potential. The planting area and output of potato in China rank first in the world. The further development of potato staple food products and industry provides a rare opportunity for the revitalization of potato industry. It is necessary to comprehensively promote the scientific research and innovation of potato, speed up the pace of variety selection, cultivate more varieties of staple food products with high yield, high starch content, strong resistance and rich nutrients, and study integrated high-yield and efficient production and processing models. Strive to be world-class in basic research and scientific and technological research and promotion, so that potatoes can really become an important food to enrich food structure and improve people's physical quality.