China-France Wheat Cooperation Program Opens in ICS

The Commencement Ceremony of China-France Wheat Cooperation Program was held on the afternoon of October 8, 2013 in the Institute of Crop Sciences of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS-ICS), in order to implement the intention of cooperation reached in the visit to France in December 2012 and to improve the resistance of wheat varieties to scab as soon as possible through international cooperation. Mr. Wang Shumin, ICS Deputy Director General presided over the ceremony, and Mr. Cui Jianghao, Deputy Division Head of the Department of Science, Technology and Education of Ministry of Agriculture, Ms. Carole LY, Agricultural Counselor of the French Embassy in China, and representatives from CAAS Bureau of International Cooperation, French Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and Limagrain attended the meeting.

The four-year jointly funded cooperation program covers: (1) germplasm exchange and joint assessment; (2) wheat germplasm creation for resistance to scab and midge; (3) exploration and application of practical molecular markers; (4) wheat hybridization; (5) personnel exchange and training.