Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily (Reporters Zhao Chunhua, Li Chunxia) news: In September, 2023, the vast land of Central Asia is gradually covered with autumn colors. Almaty, Kazakhstan, which is only over 300 kilometers away from the border between China and Kazakhstan, has cooled down with a larger temperature difference between day and night, and various crops have entered the harvest season.

Heading east from Almaty for more than 40 kilometers, there is an open cornfield. The autumn wind blows gently, causing the corn plants to sway slightly. Dr. Omanova Ayman emerged from the cornfield, pointing at the small, arm-thick corn cob on the corn stalk with a smile on her face, "Look how well this variety, Jiushenghe 2468, is growing here, it seems to have adapted to the climate here."

Photo taken on September 14, 2023 shows Dr. Omanova Ayman introduces the growth of variety Jiushenghe 2468 to the interview team at the crop demonstration base of Jiushenghe Seed Industry Co., Ltd. in Almaty, Kazakhstan. (Photo by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily/ Wang Qiming)

Jiushenghe 2468 is the seed variety of this cornfield. In 2015, Jiushenghe Seed Industry Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Jiushenghe Company) and the Kazakhstan National Institute of Plant Production and Crop Production (hereinafter referred to as "Kazakhstan Crop Research Institute") cooperated to establish the "Jiushenghe-Kazakhstan Science and Technology Cooperation Center" to jointly carry out resource exchange, new variety selection and identification, technical exchange, talent training, project cooperation and other work. At present, 2 corn varieties have been jointly evaluated, and more than 150 test corn varieties have been tested. In 2023, Jiushenghe Company established a crop demonstration base in Almaty, and Jiushenghe 2468 is one of the corn varieties displayed at the demonstration base.

As the chief researcher of the legume and maize laboratory of the Kazakhstan Crop Research Institute, Ayman has been engaged in relevant research since 1978.

"On May 4, 2023, I personally sowed these seeds from Xinjiang into the ground, taking care of them like my own children," Ayman said. She was familiar with the corn variety, which yields more than 800 kilograms per mu in Kazakhstan, where the average corn yield is around 300 kilograms. She hopes that Jiushenghe 2468 will perform well in her hometown.

Seeds are the "chip" of agricultural science, and remaining open and conducting international exchanges and cooperation is the only way to ensure the sustainable development of agriculture and the seed industry. As the world's largest importer of agricultural products and the second largest seed market, China has continuously deepened its cooperation with countries pursuing the Belt and Road Initiative in the field of agriculture over the past decade. It has optimized germplasm resources and improved seed breeding to increase output and develop modern agriculture.

How to let Xinjiang seed industry "go global"? Wang Changhai, chief product officer of Jiushenghe Seed Industry Co., Ltd. and director of the Central Asia Crop Germplasm Improvement and Promotion Science and Technology Innovation Institute, has been studying seed breeding for more than 30 years and witnessed every step of Xinjiang seed industry's moves towards Central Asia.

"It's not easy for a seed to take root in a foreign land," he said.

Selecting a good seed is like finding a needle in a haystack. Taking Jiushenghe 2468 as an example, after undergoing multiple steps such as cross-pollination and removing impurities and inferiority, the best seeds are selected from countless corn grains to cultivate today's Jiushenghe 2468.

The characteristics of variety Jiushenghe 2468, such as high temperature resistance, drought resistance, salt-alkali resistance, and barren resistance, make it easier to grow in Kazakhstan, which has similar climate conditions to Xinjiang. Ayman said that the Jiushenghe 2468 plants are strong and have large grains, so even if they are planted a little later, it does not affect the yield.

This year marks not only the tenth year of the proposal of the Belt and Road Initiative but also the tenth year of the continuous cooperation between Jiushenghe Company and Central Asian countries in seed resources. Following the internationalization trend of seed industry research and market development, Jiushenghe Company has established partnerships with more than 10 international scientific research institutions, led the establishment of the Central Asia Crop Germplasm Improvement and Promotion Science and Technology Innovation Institute, established science and technology innovation centers in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and three experimental stations in Almaty, Tashkent, and Bishkek have begun normal operation.

"Greater the genetic distance and geographic distance is, the more likely it is to produce superior seeds," said Wang Changhai. In recent years, Jiushenghe Company has domesticated and innovated the resources introduced from abroad, over 3000 samples, continuously developed new varieties and technologies, and gained their independent intellectual property rights, bringing benefits to Central Asian people.

"I've been to Kazakhstan seven or eight times already," said Wang Changhai. Over the years, in order to promote innovation in seed resources cooperation, Wang has made multiple trips to China and Central Asian countries. Similarly, experts from five Central Asian countries also frequently visit China for exchanges.

"China and Kazakhstan are good neighbors and partners, with broad prospects for cooperation in seed resources," said Arten Shayahemetova, the dean of the Department of Agronomy at North Kazakhstan State University. In July of this year, she attended the first China-Central Asia International Conference on Innovation and Cooperation in Agricultural Science and Technology in Xinjiang. She mentioned that Jiushenghe Company provided a reliable platform for further cooperation between enterprises, experts, and scholars of China and Kazakhstan, as well as an opportunity for the Department of Agronomy at North Kazakhstan State University to learn from other countries' experiences. She expressed her hope that more such symposiums and forums will be held in the future to deepen exchanges and discussions between the two sides.

In fact, Wang Changhai also has another identity as the dean of Hainan Jiushenghe Research Institute. At the Hainan Nanfan Scientific Research Breeding Base, the breeding period can be shortened by three to four years and the breeding cycle can be reduced by 1/3 to half. The “Nanfan Silicon Valley” has become a huge breeding accelerator. And the scientific layout of Jiushenghe Company in the whole country has pressed the accelerator button for the future development of international business, benefiting the Belt and Road countries in seed industry cooperation.

When southern China and northwest China are closely connected due to seed industry, the variety Jiushenghe 2468, beside Ayman, is also showing its vigorous vitality on the land of a foreign country.

Currently, the variety Jiushenghe 2468 has been evaluated for release. In the future, it will be seen on the vast land of eastern Kazakhstan.

"In the past two years, 24 crop varieties from China have been planted in the experimental fields of the Kazakhstan Crop Research Institute, with the hope that more high-quality seeds from China can grow well and bear fruit on the land of Kazakhstan. The friendship between people in China and people in Kazakhstan will last forever," Ayman said affectionately, staring at the ground beneath her feet.

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