The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences has announced its Top Ten Scientific Advances for 2017–2020.

Recently, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences held a press conference on major scientific and technological advances from 2017 to 2020, unveiling the “Top Ten Scientific and Technological Advances of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 2017–2020.”

Among these, there are 3 advances “at the forefront of global agricultural science and technology,” 4 advances “addressing major national needs,” and 3 advances “focused on the main frontlines of modern agricultural development.”

These advances span multiple disciplines, including agricultural biotechnology, the breeding and widespread application of major plant and animal varieties, the prevention and control of significant agricultural diseases, and the efficient utilization of agricultural resources. They are original, groundbreaking, and pioneering, with a remarkably strong capacity to support industry and exert far-reaching influence, collectively underscoring the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences’ mission and responsibility as the national flagship institution for agricultural research over the past three years.

A “selfish gene” in rice has been discovered, challenging Mendel’s laws of inheritance.

The Innovative Team for Crop Functional Genomics at the Institute of Crop Science has, for the first time, cloned a selfish gene that impedes the exploitation of heterosis in rice and elucidated its mechanistic role in maintaining genome stability and promoting species evolution. These findings hold significant theoretical implications for developing broadly compatible rice germplasm resources and for effectively harnessing superior genetic materials to advance breeding efforts aimed at high quality and high yield.

First successful cloning of hybrid rice seeds

The Rice Chromosome Engineering and Genome Editing Innovation Team at the Rice Research Institute has, using gene-editing technology, for the first time introduced the complex trait of apomixis into hybrid rice, successfully cloning hybrid rice seeds. This represents an original breakthrough—“from zero to one”—in the development of clonal seeds in hybrid rice, opening up new avenues for research on stabilizing heterosis through clonal seed production and for advancing crop breeding.

Solving the challenges of self-incompatibility and inbreeding depression in diploid potatoes

The Innovative Team for Genome‑Wide Design Breeding of Economic Crops at the Institute of Agricultural Genomics has leveraged genome‑editing technology to overcome the challenge of self‑incompatibility in potatoes, elucidated the genetic basis of inbreeding depression, and successfully developed “YouShu No. 1,” the first conceptual diploid potato variety. This achievement has helped reduce potato production costs and bolster China’s food security.

Poultry vaccination has successfully prevented human infections with the H7N9 virus.

The Innovative Research Team on Avian Influenza Basic Research and Control at the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute was the first to identify a highly pathogenic H7N9 mutant strain, developed an effective bivalent inactivated H5/H7 avian influenza vaccine, and deployed it nationwide for avian influenza prevention and control. This has effectively curbed the spread of the H7N9 virus in poultry, saving the poultry industry hundreds of billions of yuan in economic losses each year.

Progress in the environmental release and clinical trials of the African swine fever vaccine is proceeding smoothly.

The Innovative Research Team on Major Zoonotic and Highly Pathogenic Exotic Diseases at the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute has successfully isolated an African swine fever virus strain, smoothly completed the laboratory development and intermediate-scale production phases of the vaccine, and initiated environmental release and clinical trials, with progress proceeding smoothly.

Monitoring and control technologies for the fall armyworm have effectively curbed large-scale, recurrent outbreaks of this pest.

The Plant Protection Research Institute has achieved several domestic firsts in the monitoring and control of the fall armyworm, successfully developing population forecasting and reporting techniques, elucidating the biological patterns of this pest, identifying emergency‑response insecticides and natural enemies, and formulating comprehensive control strategies.

For the first time, a high-precision digital soil map covering the entire territory of China has been created.

The Soil Tillage and Cropping Systems Innovation Team at the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning has integrated artificial intelligence, human–computer interaction design, and soil science methodologies to pioneer a soil big-data approach on the international stage, successfully developing a high-resolution digital soil map of China. This achievement has been effectively applied to national initiatives such as farmland protection and soil fertility enhancement, non-point source pollution control, and the development of basic farmland, yielding substantial social and economic benefits.

The average oil yield per mu of high-yielding, high-oil-content, high-quality, and multi-resistant rapeseed varieties has doubled.

The innovative rapeseed genetic breeding team at the Oilseed Crops Research Institute has successfully developed the nationally approved new rapeseed variety “Zhongyouza 19,” which has been used to establish multiple green, high‑efficiency production models. Across the Yangtze River Basin, this variety has been demonstrated and promoted on a cumulative area of 20 million mu. In regional trials, its oil content reached as high as 50%, and in large‑scale demonstrations, the average oil yield per mu from physical pressing was 100.6% higher than that of the control. This breakthrough has vigorously advanced a new development paradigm for China’s rapeseed sector—emphasizing functional, economically viable, and ecologically sustainable practices, while integrating primary, secondary, and tertiary industries—thereby providing crucial technical support for the high‑quality growth of China’s rapeseed industry.

Breeding a polled yak breed fills an international gap in the domestication of yaks for barn‑rearing.

The Yak Resources and Breeding Innovation Team at the Lanzhou Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine has successfully elucidated the molecular regulatory mechanisms underlying yak horn development. The “Ashidan Yak,” independently bred by the team, has been awarded the National Certificate for New Livestock and Poultry Varieties, playing a pivotal role in advancing the production and supply of superior yak breeds, strengthening the breeding‑stock system, and transforming yak husbandry practices. This breakthrough provides new varieties and cutting‑edge technologies to boost yak productivity, increase herders’ incomes, and enhance the efficiency of the industry on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and in neighboring regions.

A newly developed, independently bred meat duck variety has broken foreign monopolies, achieving domestic production of China’s meat duck breeds.

The Waterfowl Breeding and Nutrition Innovation Team at the Beijing Institute of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine has successfully developed a new meat duck breed, the “Zhongchu Prairie White‑Feathered Meat Duck,” using a four‑line crossbreeding system. In 2017, the commercial broiler production of this new breed reached 600 million birds, accounting for approximately 23% of the national market and marking the localization of meat duck breeding.

According to additional statistics, from 2017 to 2020, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences received a total of 266 science and technology awards, including 22 National Science and Technology Awards, accounting for 26% of all agricultural awards nationwide. The Academy published 17,000 papers as the primary institution, with over 8,000 indexed in SCI, and contributed 51 highly influential international papers in journals such as Cell, Nature, and Science. It also released 873 monographs, approved 645 crop varieties—of which 353 were nationally approved—and obtained 271 plant variety rights and 42 new veterinary drug certificates.

Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs