A vegetable variety bred by Wuhan Yafei Seed Co. [Photo/Hubei Daily]
Wuhan Yafei Seed Co in Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone (WEDZ) has shortened the breeding cycle for new vegetable varieties from 8-10 years to just 3-5 years.
He Yafei, chairman of Yafei Seed, said that this increased efficiency is the result of multiple pioneering practices, including breeding materials that use using tissue culture and microspore techniques, selecting superior genes with molecular marker technology, and extending the growing season using artificial climate and low-temperature vernalization chambers.
The acceleration process begins with material purification. With microspore culture technology, researchers can induce the production of haploids in the lab, which are then doubled to achieve stable pure lines within a year.
Molecular marker technology further enhances efficiency by enabling researchers to identify desirable genes for disease resistance and quality at the seed germination stage, eliminating the need to wait for full plant maturity.
The artificial climate and low-temperature vernalization chambers create a controlled environment where vegetables can grow without seasonal interference. These chambers control light, temperature, humidity, and CO2 concentration, ensuring year-round growth and continuous generational turnover.
For vegetables like cabbage, late-maturing broccoli, and cauliflower, which require low temperatures to flower, the vernalization chambers standardize this process, freeing it from natural weather constraints and doubling the breeding efficiency from one generation per year to two.
Yafei Seed, founded in 2006, has been breeding cruciferous vegetables for nearly two decades. In 2016, the company invested 30 million yuan ($4.48 million) to establish a 140-mu (9.33 hectares) agricultural technology park, focusing on the development, trial planting and promotion of new varieties.
