On October 23, 2026, the on-site demonstration meeting for the Shandong Provincial Key R&D Program project “Breeding and Application of Highly Salt- and Alkali-Tolerant Cotton and Bast Fiber Crop Varieties”, organized by the Institute of Cotton Research of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (ICR‑CAAS), was held in Dongying City, Shandong Province. The event showcased the demonstration outcomes of germplasm evaluation and new varieties (lines) of cotton and bast fiber crops adapted to saline-alkali land.

During the field visit, Researcher Ye Wuwei, the chief scientist of the project from ICR‑CAAS, presented the phased achievements since the project was launched in 2024. In his remarks, Mei Xurong, former Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, noted that the project focuses on the development and utilization of saline-alkali land and innovates salt- and alkali-tolerant germplasm resources of cotton and bast fiber crops, which is of great significance for raising the agricultural productivity of saline-alkali soils. He urged the project team to accelerate and scale up the demonstration and extension of salt- and alkali-tolerant varieties to promote the high-quality development of the cotton and bast fiber industry on saline-alkali land.

At the meeting, an expert panel headed by Professor Ma Zhiying from Hebei Agricultural University and composed of specialists from the Cotton Research Institute of Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Science, the Institute of Cash Crops of Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, the Dryland Farming Institute of Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences and other institutions conducted yield assessment of ICR‑CAAS KY9010. Following the cotton yield measurement standard issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, five sampling sites were randomly selected for the test. The results showed that on saline-alkali land with a soil salt content of 0.4%–0.6%, KY9010 had 4,544 plants per mu, 17.4 bolls per plant, equivalent to 79,066 bolls per mu, and a boll weight of 5.5 g. After an 85% conversion factor as required by the yield assessment protocol, the average seed cotton yield reached 369.63 kg per mu. The expert panel unanimously agreed that ICR‑CAAS KY9010 features strong salt and alkali tolerance, concentrated boll opening, excellent yield and fiber quality, and promising overall performance, making it suitable for demonstration planting on saline-alkali land.

Gao Lei, Director and Party Secretary of ICR‑CAAS, pointed out in his speech that the meeting exhibited the latest advances in germplasm innovation and variety breeding for salt- and alkali-tolerant cotton and bast fiber crops. The development of such varieties has opened up a technical pathway for growing cotton and bast fiber crops on saline-alkali land and ameliorating saline-alkali soils through these crops. It pioneers a new development route that avoids occupation of high-quality cultivated land and disruption of the existing ecological carrying capacity, pursues higher output of cotton and bast fiber from saline-alkali land, and taps benefits from biological breeding and integrated improved varieties plus agronomic practices. This provides important support for easing the land competition between grain and cotton, stabilizing cotton planting area, and optimizing the spatial layout of cotton and bast fiber production.

Professor Ma Zhiying from Hebei Agricultural University, Director Xie Zongming of the Cotton Research Institute of Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Science, Yang Xuewu, Head of the Research Project Department of the National Technical Innovation Center for Comprehensive Utilization of Saline-Alkali Land, Researcher Zhang Jun from the Institute of Cash Crops of Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Professor Song Xianliang from Shandong Agricultural University, Yang Jihua, General Manager of Shandong Zhongli Cotton Industry Co., Ltd., and other guests attended the meeting. More than 40 participants including agricultural technology extension staff and large-scale growers from Dongying took part in the event.