On November 2nd， according to media reports， the Institute of Intelligent Machines at the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science， Chinese Academy of Sciences， in collaboration with the Hefei Intelligent Breeding Accelerator Innovation Institute， has jointly unveiled two significant achievements in Hefei， Anhui. The ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the simultaneous launch of the “Xiao Hai” full-chain robotic breeder and the “Haiba Facilities” wheat rapid breeding commercial service platform. This event signifies a crucial breakthrough in China’s development and engineering application of intelligent breeding equipment.
Addressing the challenges of low efficiency and long cycles inherent in traditional breeding methods， the intelligent breeding team at Hefei Institutes of Physical Science’s Institute of Intelligent Machines proposed the innovative concept of “engineering biological breeding” in 2022. This led to the construction of the “Hefei Intelligent Breeding Accelerator” (also known as “Haiba Facilities”)， a large scientific device. The aim is to leverage advanced technological equipment to drive the entire breeding process towards mechanization， automation， digitalization， intelligence， and standardization.
The “Haiba Facilities” wheat rapid breeding commercial service platform， powered by intelligent environmental regulation technology， can achieve 6 to 7 generations of spring wheat breeding and 4 to 5 generations of winter wheat breeding annually. This drastically shortens the traditional breeding cycle of 8 to 10 years to a mere 2 to 3 years. This accelerated timeline is critical for enhancing agricultural productivity and responding to evolving market demands. The ability to cycle through generations more rapidly allows for quicker evaluation of genetic traits and faster selection of superior varieties.
According to Huang He， a researcher at the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science’s Institute of Intelligent Machines， the current annual service capacity at the Hefei headquarters and the Yantai branch center has reached 200，000 plants. Once the pilot production bases under construction are fully operational， the annual service capacity will exceed 3 million plants， establishing a robust capacity for scaled and commercial services. This will provide strong support for seed industry enterprises and research institutions， fostering innovation and competition within the sector.
“Xiao Hai，” the robotic family member， can be viewed as a “miniature version” for the experimental demonstration and concept validation of the core technologies within the “Haiba Facilities” large scientific device. It covers the key stages of the entire breeding chain， including “germplasm creation – germplasm identification – germplasm stabilization.” The development of such integrated systems allows for a more streamlined and efficient process for researchers.
In terms of accelerating germplasm identification， a key focus is the establishment of an adversity screening platform that is difficult to achieve under conventional conditions. Through precise and intelligent control of crop habitats， coupled with an efficient and accurate phenotypic identification system for adversity tolerance， this platform enables targeted high-throughput screening and identification of stress-resistant germplasm. This capability directly addresses the market’s urgent need for stable product varieties by facilitating the breeding of robust and resilient crops.
For accelerating germplasm stabilization， a multi-crop， multi-variety system for rapid breeding with multiple generations per year has been constructed. This system allows for genetic improvements to be consolidated and tested more quickly， ensuring that desirable traits are effectively maintained across successive generations. This is particularly important for developing varieties that can withstand a range of environmental conditions and perform consistently.
