Syngenta Group China, first industry player to co-breed excellent varieties using high-quality germplasm resources

On June 15, the Syngenta Group’s China Seed Industry Co-Creation Platform and the National Maize Seed Breeding Technology Innovation Center held an online meeting to launch a combination of germplasm resources. 

Under the joint initiative, Syngenta Group China, for the first time in the history of Chinese breeding, will collect and utilize high-quality germplasm resources from around the world. The process of combination will be conducted in accordance with relevant regulations and procedures applicable to the importation of germplasm resources.

The issue of food security is always a top priority, and one of the key tasks of the seed industry is to improve the utilization of germplasm resources and promote variety breeding. However, there is a scarcity of high-quality original seed sources in China, as well as an obvious gap in its breeding technology compared with developed countries. In order to narrow the gap, the Syngenta Group China is prepared to use global germplasm resources for combinations for the first time, in collaboration with its partners, setting a precedent in the Chinese seed industry. 

The resources to be utilized for this cooperation include 100-plus inbred lines, of which nearly half come from the overseas backbone inbred lines of the Syngenta Group. The germplasm resources cover a wide range of varieties, from very early maturation to late maturation in temperate zones, as well as tropical and subtropical maturation. In addition, the Chinese breeding team of the Syngenta Group, through the use of advanced international breeding technologies and methods, will offer practical and effective technical support to the process of variety breeding, to improve the industry’s breeding capabilities.

The germplasm resources combination is promoted jointly by the Seed Industry Co-Creation Platform and the National Maize Seed Breeding Technology Innovation Center, integrating germplasm research with customers’ needs, representing a breakthrough in the traditional model of self-development and self-marketing, and creating an open-source research and development platform, which is expected to effectively encourage the optimization of varieties, as well as shape a market-driven and benefit-sharing ecosystem.