For the first time, Guangdong has successfully produced its own virus‑free potato original seeds on a commercial scale, ending the province's long-standing reliance on seed potatoes from northern China.
On April 13, workers in Shangba Village, Dongyuan County, harvested more than 625 tonnes of original seeds from seven potato varieties, including Yuezijing No. 1, Yuehong No. 2, and Atlantic. The seeds were grown on a trial field managed by Guangdong Huifeng Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.
Making use of fallow rice paddies, Guangdong plants about 53,000 hectares of winter potatoes each year. The tubers hit the market from January to April, when prices are higher. Until now, however, all seed potatoes have been sourced from northern China, traveling long distances at a high cost and with high rates of damage. This "north-to-south seed" model also disrupted dormancy cycles and caused pest infestations.
Li Xiaobo, head of the potato research unit at the Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said the region has the potential to produce 1.33 million hectares of winter potatoes, which would boost both food security and farmers' incomes.
Since 2023, Guangdong Huifeng Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. has worked with the provincial academy and the national potato industry system to build a complete technology chain covering stem‑tip detoxification, rapid propagation, virus‑free seedling culture, minituber production and field expansion.
The company now operates a 4,000-square-meter tissue culture center with 10,000 square meters of shelving, capable of producing 10 million virus‑free potato plantlets a year. It also has 5,000 square meters of greenhouse space for minituber production.
Xiao Junwei, the company's deputy general manager, said the original seeds sell for about 4,000 yuan per tonne, generating an estimated 2.5 million yuan in direct sales. The seeds are mainly destined for Zhanjiang and Huidong in Guangdong, as well as Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan.
Author | Feng Huiting
Photo | Nanfang Plus
