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Recently, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration announced the fourth batch of national forest tree germplasm resource banks. Only two sites in the province were selected, with Longquan’s Schima National Forest Tree Germplasm Resource Bank among them, marking another major milestone for Longquan in biodiversity conservation.
Forest tree germplasm resources are a vital national strategic resource, forming the foundation of genetic and species diversity. Schima, as a multipurpose broadleaf afforestation species predominant in southern China, holds significant value. Since 2001, Longquan City has leveraged technical support from the Chinese Academy of Forestry’s Subtropical Forestry Research Institute, along with opportunities from national key R&D programs and Zhejiang’s key projects on new forest tree variety breeding, to dedicate efforts to Schima germplasm resource collection, preservation, and new variety breeding.
Over the past two decades, through large-scale superior tree selection and extensive germplasm collection from Schima’s main production areas, Longquan has accumulated 790 preserved clones (or first-generation breeding parents), with 6 to 8 grafted individuals per clone. These include not only rich breeding resources from core production zones but also stress-resistant breeding materials from marginal areas, as well as 21 elite germplasms from related species such as Schima argentea, Schima grandibracteata, and Schima sinensis. Concurrently, open-pollinated families and hybrid progeny tests have been conducted, screening nearly 200 second-generation Schima breeding parents for grafting and preservation, establishing a vast, high-quality breeding population.
Additionally, Longquan has preliminarily selected foundational parents and established over 2,000 acres of first-generation clonal seed orchards in Lanxi (Zhejiang), Nan’an (Chongqing), Xinfeng (Jiangxi), and Hua’an (Fujian), all certified as national or provincial elite forest tree varieties. These have produced 2,500 kg of elite Schima seeds and approximately 50 million elite seedlings. Through comprehensive evaluations, 800 acres of newly established 1.5-generation clonal seed orchards in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Fujian are nearing operational status, ensuring sustained supply of high-quality Schima seeds.
“Our Schima National Germplasm Resource Bank preserves a large number of superior Schima clones from widely distributed regions, playing a crucial role in ensuring long-term breeding, germplasm innovation, and elite afforestation in China,” said Ji Jingyong, Deputy Director of the Longquan Forestry Academy. Moving forward, the bank will strictly adhere to national construction standards, actively explore a sustainable model integrating “germplasm resources + technological reserves + public education”, and provide replicable, scalable experiences for forest tree germplasm conservation.