The seedling center in the Rudong modern agricultural industrial demonstration park specializes in the cultivation, introduction, promotion, production and demonstration of crop varieties. [Photo/WeChat account: rudongfb]

A new seedling center is going from strength to strength in the modern agricultural industrial demonstration park in Rudong county – administered by Nantong city in East China's Jiangsu province – and has plans for further expansion.

More precisely, it is located in Yingquan village in Caobu town and the complex covers some 7.3 hectares.

Receiving investment of 11 million yuan ($1.74 million), the center was completed and started operating in November 2020. It specializes in the cultivation, introduction, promotion, production and demonstration of crop varieties.

With four solar greenhouses, the center is expected to produce 15 million seedlings annually, of which 90 percent are watermelon and cabbage seedlings.

"In addition to meeting the demand for vegetable and fruit seedlings – such as cabbage, watermelon and lettuce in Rudong and surrounding areas – we are also taking the initiative to expand the varieties of seedlings, to meet the needs of customers in northern Jiangsu area, such as those in Yancheng and Suqian cities," said Wang Jingyu, deputy general manager of the operator, Nantong Zhongjiang Agricultural Development Co Ltd.

The center has established industry-university-research cooperation with the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Suzhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Nanjing Agricultural University and other colleges and research institutes, achieving remarkable results in the development of new varieties and in experiments.

With the rapid development of facility agriculture, growers now have larger demand for premium-quality seedlings. This year, four more solar greenhouses will be built at the center, to increase the output of seedlings to 30 million per annum.

"Since the center was established, thousands of farmers have visited to learn about our new technologies and varieties, to update the varieties they grow and to enhance the benefits of planting," Wang said.

Moving forward, plans are for the center to undertake more demonstration projects that integrate advanced technologies in vegetable planting, to encourage more growers to develop modern agriculture, so as to boost the rural revitalization in Rudong.