In Hainan in midsummer, summer harvest, summer seeds and summer pipes of many new crop varieties are staged at the same time. Wang Shiming, the head of a seed production enterprise in Hainan, is busy revitalizing a piece of abandoned land in Gancheng Town, Dongfang City. "Through soil improvement, this place has become a seed production base for growing crops all year round," said Wang Shiming.

From using the local climate to breed and breeding to year-round seed research and development, from dispersed scientific research to cluster collaboration, from breeding to seed production to the entire seed industry chain, relying on the national southern breeding scientific research and breeding base, Hainan is constantly refreshing the background of China's seed industry.

On April 12, 2018, General Secretary Xi Jinping visited the National South China Tradition Research Breeding Base. The General Secretary emphasized that good varieties play a very critical role in promoting grain production. We must make up our mind to develop our seed industry, speed up the cultivation of excellent varieties with independent intellectual property rights, and ensure national food security from the source.

A seed, connected to the "big thing in the country", is related to the initiative in national food security. Keeping in mind the earnest instructions of the General Secretary, Xie Hua'an has led his team to continue to work hard at the National South China Breeding Research and Breeding Base, cultivating new rice varieties that are resistant to storage and high yields, so that the laboratory results can bear fruit in the fields.

Sanya Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City High-tech Zone is the main battlefield of Hainan seed industry. "In April 2022, the General Secretary came again to inspect the South China Breeding Research and Breeding. He emphasized that if the Chinese people must firmly hold the rice bowl in their own hands, they must hold the seeds firmly in their own hands. These reminders are kept in mind and inspire me to continue to work hard." said Qiao Jiyue, a scientific researcher at Yazhou Bay National Laboratory.

Now, more and more young scientific researchers are taking root in the southern breeding and hot land and growing rapidly into the main force of breeding and seed production. In order to cultivate new varieties of highly salt-resistant rice, Qiao Jiyue and his team members faced the scorching sun to screen a large number of wild rice in the experimental fields. At present, salt-resistant germplasm resources have been successfully screened out, providing a key molecular target for the genetic improvement of salt-tolerant alkali resistance in rice.

Scientific research and development capabilities, technological empowerment. In recent years, the National South China Breeding Research and Breeding Base has installed "Chinese cores" for seed industry research, and lidar, hyperspectral cameras, and various sensors have conducted comprehensive and real-time "physical examinations" for breeding materials. Massive breeding data and big data algorithms have been closely coordinated, and the cultivation of new crop varieties has ushered in acceleration.

"Good seeds and more grains are harvested. We also promote the transformation of scientific research results of the laboratory into real productivity through hard work." 50 years ago, Wang Shiming's father came from Jiangxi to Hainan as a seed producer to build a seed breeding base. Now, Wang Shiming has built 20,000 mu of scientific research and production bases in Sanya, Oriental and Ledong, producing 6 million to 8 million jin of rice seeds every year, which can be used for planting and use in 3 million to 4 million mu of fields across the country. Today, the National South China Breeding Research Breeding Base has become an accelerator of agricultural research and a regular database for seed supply. Every year, more than 3 million breeding materials and varieties enter the South China Breeding. More than 70% of the new crop varieties that have been bred in the country have been bred by South China. Chasing light and heat, and striving for strength towards "seeds", Hainan is accelerating the construction of the "South China Silicon Valley" serving the whole country.

"'South China Silicon Valley' is the foundation of Chinese seeds. We must cultivate more excellent seeds, so that the Chinese people can grow good seeds, and the Chinese rice bowl contains Chinese grain." Xie Huaan said.

Producer: Luo Hongbing

Producer: Wu Gang Gong Xinhui

Coordinator: Tao Yude

Producer: Lin Weiwei Bu Ye

Reporter: Sodi

Editor: Tao Gan

Thank you: Yazhou Bay National Laboratory Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City Administration