In order to gain a firsthand understanding of Sanya Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City’s innovative achievements in the fields of crop breeding and deep-sea technology, and to feel the vitality brought by the construction of the free trade port, the "Hainan's Free Trade Momentum” international communications press delegation visited the industrial park on April 15th.

On display at the Yazhou Bay Industry Promotion Center, models of deep-sea equipment such as Fendouzhe (“Striver”) and Shenhai Yongshi (“Deep Sea Warrior”), and the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Hainan Research Institute Shenlan (“Deep Blue”) Wave Glider attracted much attention.

Lei Xiaonan (an engineer of Shanghai Jiaotong University Hainan Research Institute), said: "One of China's important achievements in terms of deep sea science and technology innovation, our glider—which is capable of being used in fields as diverse as marine environment monitoring and geological exploration—is driven by a combination of solar power and wave energy.”

Interview team getting an up close look at the Shenlan Wave Glider.(Photo: Hinews)

Hu Jun (reporter of China.com) exclaimed: "Providing continuous scientific and technological innovation for Hainan to accelerate the construction of ‘new quality productive forces,’ there are many scholars and scientific researchers engaged in the further cultivation of the deep sea environment. As a result, this place embodies the hopes and dreams of scientific and technological innovation.

Sanya’s unique climactic conditions make it a "natural laboratory" for the nation’s seed breeding research. In one of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Hainan National Nanfan Breeding Research Base’s experimental fields, semi-autonomous high-throughput plant phenotyper perform "physical examinations" of corn stalks. Li Yichao (a researche of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences) explained: "Integrating six high-precision sensors, our self-developed plant phenotyper can obtain crop growth data in real time. Combined with big data analysis, we can efficiently screen for advantageous gene combinations, and greatly improve our crop-breeding efficiency.”

Semi-autonomous high-throughput plant phenotyper performing a "physical examination" of corn stalks.(Photo: Hinews)

He Zhuoyan (left) from Sichuan International Communication Center looks at the plant phenotyper.(Photo: Hinews)

The interview team also visited the Sanya Electron Accelerator Mutation Breeding Laboratory. Xu Dechun (chief technical engineer of Sanya EAMB Laboratory) said: "Traditional hybrid breeding takes 5-7 years to obtain stable offspring. However, electron accelerator mutation breeding technology uses precise irradiation to improve breeding efficiency. At present, because our lab has cultivated over 60 kinds of crops, we can confidently say that we are providing significant scientific and technological support for ensuring national food security.”

"From southern hinterlands to innovation highlands, the transformation of Yazhou Bay and the Hainan National Breeding Research Base has been nothing short of amazing,” said China News Service reporter Lü Linghan.