Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences and James Hutton Institute strengthen collaborative links

"China produces the largest amount of potatoes in the world but there is significant potential to improve the country’s production processes.

A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences (SAAS), China, and the James Hutton Institute, during a visit of a SAAS delegation to the Institute's Dundee site. 

SAAS previously held a MoU with SCRI, one of the Institute's legacy organisations, under which a number of potato varieties were trialled leading to several now undergoing commercial trials for Chinese markets, in particular a variety named Sulan-1.

Wang Ping, SAAS Vice President and senior scientist, co-signed a new MoU with Professor Lesley Torrance, Director of Science (Interim) of the James Hutton Institute. The new agreement will cover a further 10 years and details trialling and testing arrangements between the organisations.

China produces the largest amount of potatoes in the world but there is significant potential to improve the country’s production processes. This has become more crucial as the Chinese government has designated potatoes as a staple food for the burgeoning nation of 1.3 billion people. Relatively, producing a potato requires 30% less water than China’s traditional staples of rice, wheat and maize. Land dedicated to potato crops is being doubled, as the Chinese government encourages people to increase potato consumption.

Hosted by Dr Jonathan Snape, Commercial Director of James Hutton Limited, the delegation enjoyed presentations which detailed the James Hutton Institute’s work on potato genetics, pathology, molecular diagnostics, soils, crops science and nutrition.

SAAS and the James Hutton Institute will continue to collaborate on potato breeding and exchanging potato germplasm and it is also hoped that Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences will fund two PhD students in 2017, who will work between China and Scotland on potato related projects.