At a seedling base in Fangxia sub-district, Laiwu district, Jinan, tomato and cucumber seedlings are being meticulously packaged, ready to be shipped nationwide.

Qi Hongxiao, the head of Jinan Shucheng Seedling Base, informed the reporter, "We cultivate over ten varieties of vegetable seedlings at our base, with tomatoes being our flagship product. We boast over 80 varieties of tomatoes, and our self-developed strawberry tomato variety has already borne fruit in Liaoning and other regions. Presently, more than 20 million seedlings are dispatched annually from our base, primarily to Shandong and also to Henan, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Jiangsu, and other areas. According to our records, leveraging the high-quality seedlings we cultivate has boosted the income and prosperity of tens of thousands of farmers."

In the realm of modern agriculture, seedling breeding stands as a critical link in agricultural production, directly impacting crop yield and quality improvement. The application of various breeding technologies aids farmers in selecting and propagating high-quality varieties, better safeguarding and enhancing crop genetic resources, improving variety adaptability and resistance to cope with climate change and pest threats, thereby providing robust support for sustainable agricultural development. Among these, high-quality germplasm serves as a crucial prerequisite for cultivating seedlings. However, in the past, many seedling bases primarily relied on foreign varieties, resulting in high seed prices and elevated production costs for farmers. To break free from foreign seed industries' stranglehold, pursuing independent research and development is imperative.

"Now, we've established collaborations with Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, and Institute of Vegetables and Flowers of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, enabling us to access high-quality germplasm resources promptly. After our experimentation, screening, and promotion efforts, the seedlings we cultivate not only outperform foreign counterparts but also come at a lower price. Concurrently, we've also developed the capability for independent research and development," remarked Qi Hongxiao.

Fangxia sub-district, Laiwu district, Jinan, situated in a plain area where four rivers converge locally, forming fertile fields, boasts a unique geographical environment suitable for various crops' growth. Leveraging this high-quality natural environment, Fangxia sub-district has established multiple seedling bases, achieving factory-style seedling cultivation with the technical advantage of science and technology, forming a social service system integrating breeding, management, technology, supply, and marketing. The high-quality seedlings cultivated can be replicated and promoted in different regions, enhancing the planting management and operation level of numerous growers, continuously propelling rural industrial revitalization.

It's noteworthy that based on local resource endowments, Fangxia sub-district actively promotes the large-scale development of the vegetable seedling industry by adapting measures to local conditions and actively creating a "vegetable seedling corridor." Through vegetable seedling festivals and adopting an "industry + innovation team" aggregation model, the area fully leverages the leading role of high-level experts and professors to build exchange platforms for relevant enterprises, promoting enterprise quality improvement and efficiency enhancement. Last year, over 300 million seedlings were dispatched from Fangxia sub-district nationwide, with vegetables achieving a production value of 281 million yuan. In the next step, Fangxia sub-district, Laiwu will continue to focus on smart agriculture, increase scientific and technological input, drive through agricultural leading enterprises, promote production and sales platforms, and stimulate characteristic industries to further strengthen the chain and achieve the branding of regional characteristic agriculture.