August 23–25, 2026, the 2026 Annual Conference of the Cotton Branch of the Chinese Society of Agronomy opened in Shijiazhuang. Hosted by the Cotton Branch and co-organized by multiple institutions in Hebei, the event gathered over 380 delegates from research institutes, universities, extension agencies and enterprises nationwide to share the latest cotton research advances and explore pathways for high-quality industrial development.

Academician Li Peiwu analyzed the advantages and exploitation potential of cottonseed, including nutritional traits of cottonseed oil, gossypol-free germplasm innovation and green processing technologies. He proposed transforming cotton from a traditional fiber crop into a multi-purpose strategic crop for fiber, oil, protein and functional materials to extend industrial chains and raise added value. Addressing bottlenecks such as continuous cropping, soil degradation and low water‑fertilizer use efficiency, Academician Xu Minggang put forward technical schemes of rational cropping rotation and green soil fertility improvement.

Thirty-four experts including Ma Zhiying, Gao Lei, Li Fuguang and Lu Huaiyu delivered presentations covering cotton breeding, genome dissection, smart cultivation, green production, industrial development, as well as cutting-edge fields such as cotton large language models, intelligent recognition and nanoscale regulation.

A committee meeting of the Cotton Branch was held concurrently. Participants studied relevant important speeches and regulatory documents governing society branches to strengthen standardized management.

The conference built an academic exchange and technical cooperation platform, promoting experience sharing and innovation collaboration across the sector, and supporting high-quality development of China’s cotton industry.