Abstract:

Vegetables are indispensable non-stable food for people, and vegetable industry plays an essential role in national economy. Since 1950s, especially after the reform and opening up, vegetable industry in China has developed fast, with both output value and export volume ranking the first of all crops. Vegetable industry has now become the pillar for increasing the farmer’s income and developing of the rural area, which relies greatly on the rapid development and strong support of vegetable breeding sciences and technologies. Currently, China vegetable industry is faced with the crucial period of transformation and upgrading, while sparing no efforts on boosting vegetable breeding research, encouraging science and technology innovation and promoting the development of the seed industry is the inevitable course. This paper reviews the development history of vegetable breeding sciences and technologies in China, and summarizes the progress made since 1950s, including the growing research team and their significant scientific achievements, as well as the booming seed industry. This paper also looks forward to the prospects of vegetable breeding sciences and technologies in China, and based on the existing problems and market demands, the future work emphasis is discussed, including building a new system for vegetable breeding sciences and technologies, strengthening both the fundamental and applied research, attaching importance to germplasm innovation, regulating seed market behavior, and protecting the intellectual property right for the breeders.

Key words: China, Vegetable Breeding Sciences and Technologies, Development Progress, Future Perspectives