Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Key Laboratory for Crop Biobreeding and New Variety Development Inaugurated at KingAgroot Innovation Center
On July 2, the Key Laboratory for Crop Biobreeding and New Variety Development under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs was officially inaugurated at the KingAgroot Innovation Center.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by distinguished experts and officials, including Academician Dao-Xin Xie of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Professor at Tsinghua University; Academician Wei-Gang Xu of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Researcher at the Institute of Crop Molecular Breeding, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences; Xin-Hai Li, Director of the Science and Technology Management Bureau of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences; Yuan-Chao Wang, Vice President of Nanjing Agricultural University; as well as government representatives including Chengxu Liu, Second-Level Inspector of the Shandong Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; Chuanjie Gao, Director of Shandong Seed Management Station; representatives from the Qingdao Municipal Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; Xiao Song, Party Secretary and Chairman of Qingdao Municipal Institute of Agricultural Sciences; and Chenchen Yu, Director of the Science and Technology Education Division of Qingdao Municipal Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
The laboratory is spearheaded by KingAgroot. The Academic Committee of the laboratory is chaired by Academician Jianmin Wan of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, with Academician Dao-Xin Xie serving as Deputy Chair. Committee members include leading experts and scholars from universities and research institutes across China.
On the same day, the laboratory held the first meeting of its inaugural Academic Committee. Committee members recognized KingAgroot’s R&D capabilities and jointly defined the laboratory’s research objectives, providing professional guidance for its research priorities and technological development directions.
The meeting highlighted that the laboratory will focus on major national needs and address key challenges including the shortage of novel genes conferring insect resistance, disease resistance and herbicide tolerance, as well as the low efficiency of multi-gene stacking. Its research will focus on the discovery and intelligent design of novel genes for insect resistance, disease resistance and herbicide tolerance; the development of single-vector platforms for multi-gene stacking; and the breeding of genetically modified crop varieties. These efforts aim to establish an integrated innovation chain spanning basic research, technological breakthroughs and industrial applications.
The establishment and operation of the laboratory will help build a self-reliant technological platform for China’s seed industry, overcome critical bottlenecks in seed development, and strengthen collaboration among industry, academia and research institutions. By bringing together leading scientific resources, fostering an open and collaborative innovation ecosystem, and cultivating high-level breeding talent, the laboratory will facilitate the transformation of cutting-edge research into breakthrough crop varieties for agricultural production.
The laboratory’s approval as a Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs represents authoritative recognition of KingAgroot’s R&D capabilities and industry experience. Through years of strategic development, KingAgroot has established a comprehensive technology chain covering novel gene discovery, gene-editing tool development and new variety breeding. The company’s independently developed KingCas12 gene-editing tool has been granted a patent in China, while key breakthroughs have been achieved in multi-gene stacking technology and RNAi-based antiviral technology. Multiple independently bred varieties have passed national variety approval and are being introduced to the market, laying a solid foundation for the laboratory’s strong start.
Going forward, KingAgroot will further advance the laboratory’s infrastructure and operational mechanisms, leveraging its integrated innovation advantage driven by the dual engines of “agrochemical innovation + biotech breeding.” The company will continue to enhance its original innovation capabilities and accelerate technology commercialization, contributing KingAgroot’s expertise to strengthening China’s seed self-reliance and safeguarding national food security.