Translation: "International Giant! Construction begins on the first national strategic weapon in the field of agriculture."

On February 27th, the construction of the "Divine Farmer Facility," a major technological infrastructure project in crop phenomics research, was launched in Wuhan, China. Once completed, this facility will become the nation's leading instrument in the field of agriculture. Through independent innovation, the "Divine Farmer Facility" will be built as the world's largest, highest-throughput, and most precise facility for crop phenotyping. It will have the capacity to genotype and collect data on the main phenotype characteristics of 500,000 to 1,000,000 plants annually, enabling the design, prediction, and control of breeding processes. It is expected to increase breeding efficiency by more than 100%, becoming a powerful tool for advancing breeding technologies. The planning, construction, management, and utilization of major technological infrastructure are fundamental requirements for fulfilling the mission of national strategic science and technology capabilities. The "Divine Farmer Facility" is a crucial weapon in revolutionizing the seed industry. Once completed, it will become a core scientific facility in the Optics Valley Science Island, leading the development of the biotechnology industry in the Yangtze Economic Belt and playing a significant role in promoting the transformation and upgrading of modern agriculture. Major technological infrastructure is a crucial instrument for exploring the unknown, discovering natural laws, and leading technological innovation and change. It is important to uphold high standards and quality in design and construction, striving to create exemplary and secure engineering projects, and accelerating the development of Wuhan into a nationally influential science and innovation center. By leveraging major national technological infrastructure, more high-quality innovation elements will be attracted to Hubei province, boosting the cultivation of new productive forces with innovative hard power and injecting vigorous energy into the practice of Hubei's pursuit of Chinese-style modernization. According to reports, with the support of the National Development and Reform Commission, the "Divine Farmer Facility" is led by the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and involves the participation of Nanjing Agricultural University, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan University of Technology, and Wuhan Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Hubei province is located in the transitional zone between the subtropical and temperate climates, making it suitable for the growth of major domestic crops. It also possesses advantages in agricultural science and education personnel. Since May 2018, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Hubei Province have actively communicated and collaborated on the establishment of the "Divine Farmer Facility" in Hubei. In 2019, they jointly established the Crop Phenomics Joint Research Center to promote the construction of the "Divine Farmer Facility."National Crop Phenomics ResearchShen Nong FacilityWuhanConstructionAgricultural SectorBreeding EfficiencyOptics Valley Science IslandModern Agriculture Transformation and Upgrading.