November 24th, 2009, State Development and Reform Commission held the completion and acceptance meeting of National Key Science Project-The Southwest China Germplasm Bank of Wild Species (Germplasm Bank for short) in Kunming Institute of Botany of CAS. The Acceptance Committee director is co-served by the deputy director of State Development and Reform Commission Zhang Xiaoqiang, the vice-president of CAS Li Jiayang and the director of National Natural Science Foundation Chen Yiyu. The deputy director of the Acceptance Committee is co-served by the Vice Governor of Yunnan Provincial Government He Duanqi, the vice-president of CAS Zhan Wenlong and the academician of Institute of Botany of CAS Hong Deyuan. The commissioners are composed by the members from State Development and Reform Commission, National Natural Science Foundation, State Archives Administration, Yunnan Provincial Government and
The Acceptance Committee listened to the project summary report, the result report of scientific objective acceptance and the acceptance opinions of CAS, checked and approved correlative materials, investigated the Germplasm Bank site on-the-spot and inquired related problems. Through careful consideration and full discussion, the acceptance views were achieved as follows:
1. According to the requirements in the approval documents: approval about the Germplasm Bank feasibility study report by State Development and Reform Commission, preliminary design approval of CAS and the scientific objectives acceptance basis, the Germplasm Bank, according to international standard, had been equiped with refrigeratory, drying room and walk-in cultivating room, etc; established Germplasm databases and information sharing management system; set up technology system and research platform which set functional gene testing, cloning and validation as a whole; founded Germplasm preservation center, experimental center of molecular biology, and organized the 'Plant Germplasm and Genomics Research Center', thus possessing a powerful preservation and research capacity for wild species germplasm resources and becoming one of the two Wild species Germplasm Banks built according to the international standard.
2. The project conserved various types of Chinese important wild germplasm resources and some overseas wild Germplasm resources, including seeds, in vitro plant materials, animal cells, strains and DNA. The project had collected and conserved 8,444 species, 74,641 pieces/strains of wild species germplasm, which include 252 species, 590 pieces of wild plant seeds from 21countries; at the same time collected and conserved in the germplasm nursery 437 species, 49,580 pieces of wild species germplasm, over fulfilling the species collection and preservation during the construction period approved by State Development and Reform Commission. Formulated 76 preservation standards and norms, adhering to the principles of equal importance of collection, conservation and research as well as open sharing of resources. Developed the study of germplasm and genetic resources, providing support for bio-industry development.
3. This project has completed the tasks of constructing the newly collected land, germplasm bank, automatic controlled greenhouse and related infrastructure and matching, meeting the functional demands of wild species germplasm conservation and scientific experiments. The project had invested 148 million yuan according to its plan and had complete financial system and standard management. As well, the equipments were managed and operated normally, making it realized that accounts consisted with accounts as well as accounts consisted with goods. Besides, it had a sound dossier management system, in which 587 volumes of files in total were formed, fully reflecting the actual situation of project construction and basically reaching the requirements of integrated, accurate and systemic.
4. The project has introduced four 'CAS Hundred Talents' and one Yunnan High-level talent, created a high level wild species germplasm preservation and research team which was mainly composed by young and middle ages; effectively organized 13 natural reserves all around the country, 58 work units, 620 persons in total participating the collection of germplasm resources, constructed the collaborative network and research platform of collection, preservation, sharing and utilizing with germplasm bank as the core and promoted the development of wild species germplasm conservation and biodiversity research in China .
The acceptance committee considered that the Southwest China Germplasm Bank of Wild Species had completed the construction tasks as planned and built germplasm preservation facilities which had significant international influence. As well, its preservation capacity had reached international leading level and was irreplaceable. The accomplishment of this project played an important role in promoting China's biodiversity conservation and research work, and provided strategic reserve of biological resources for China's economic and social sustainable development. The acceptance committee unanimously agreed to this project passing the final acceptance. The acceptance committee hoped that the preservation facilities of Germplasm Bank could maintain the international leading position, effectively strengthen the correlative scientific and technical research work on wild species germplasm resources and enhance the operation management and open sharing.
The deputy director of State Development and Reform Commission Zhang Xiaoqiang, the vice-president of CAS Li Jiayang and the vice governor of Yunnan Provincial Government He Duanqi successively made speeches on the acceptance meeting. These speeches overviewed the great significance of the construction of germplasm bank and fully affirmed the achievements of its construction work and scientific research. These speeches also proposed requirements for the following work from the aspects of speeding up the collection of storage resources, strengthening the open sharing and expanding exchanges and cooperation, etc. Meanwhile, in the speeches, they expected that the bank's staff members could consider passing the national acceptance as a new starting point, keep moving ahead, sufficiently exert the role of this national key scientific project and make new contributions in building an innovation-oriented country.
It is reported that this is the first national wild species germplasm bank. This germplasm bank was built from March 22th, 2005, completed and put into trial operation on February 8th, 2007; on October 29th, 2008, it was officially opened and put into operation. After 5 years' construction of all aspects, the bank had generally achieved the design and functional requirements and reached the building effects.
The fully building and putting into operation of the germplasm bank is of great significance in the aspects of guaranteeing the safety of national strategic biology resources, supporting and promoting the exchanges and development of our biological science systems and related disciplines, providing scientific support for fulfilling the International Convention on Biological Diversity, offering information basis for the country's related scientific decision-making and building an international standard team for germplasm resources protection and research.
This project is managed in the way of a condominium approach by CAS and
Relevant experts and leaders from Kunming Institute of Botany and the cooperated
