Hainan is a vital crop seed breeding base in China. Since 1956, thousands of scientists and technicians gather here from all over the country for breeding, seed production and scientific research every year. This has led to successive breakthroughs in key core technologies of seed innovation to ensure seed safety, high-quality growth and innovation in the country's seed industry. 

Over 60 years of seed breeding practice in Hainan 

Hainan has a tropical monsoon climate and is frost-free all year round. It has a mean annual temperature of 22.5°C–26°C, and a mean annual precipitation of 1,500-2,600 mm. It is frequently visited by typhoons throughout the year. Since the 1950s, from September to May of the following year, a large contingent of agricultural scientific researchers, like migratory birds, have flocked to Hainan for crop selection for breeding, parent breeding, seed production, etc. in light of the unique tropical climatic conditions and abundant tropical germplasm resources. This process is known as "Nanfan" in Chinese, meaning breeding in the south of China. In other words, Nanfan refers to a method of breeding and seed selection of summer crops such as rice, corn and cotton in subtropical and tropical areas in south China after these crops are harvested in their origins in the autumn. This helps breed two to three generations a year, accelerate the process of seed selection, and shorten the breeding period. It also tests the disease-resistance performance of breeding materials, as well as their response to light.