Agricultural research institute unveiled

A Yangtze River Delta Modern Agriculture Research Institute was unveiled at Shanghai Normal University on Friday.

Lu Zhengrong, deputy director of the Shanghai Agriculture and Rural Affairs Commission, said the university will cooperate with academies of agriculture sciences in Shanghai and Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces, and the Yangtze River Delta Institute of Rural Revitalization to research modern agriculture and cultivate related talent.

Lin Zaiyong, Party secretary of Shanghai Normal University, said the institute was established to give full play to the role of the university in social services as a think tank.

With its research facilities, such as the Shanghai Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Sciences and the Development Center of Plant Germplasm Resources, the new institute will aim to develop cross-disciplinary research.

It will also use cutting-edge technologies, such as molecular genetics, synthetic biology and gene editing, to make breakthroughs in areas including crop germplasm, genetic improvement of horticultural plants, agricultural biotechnology engineering, food security and nutrition. 

For example, it will try to breed new species of crops, vegetables and flowers with high added-value. It will also explore new approaches for urban environment monitoring and restoration.