On August 18, 2026, the launch meeting for the Shandong Provincial Key R&D Program (Agricultural High-Quality Seed Project) project titled ‘Breeding and Promotion of New Varieties of ‘Zhangqiu Welsh Onions’ Suitable for Specific Cultivation Methods and Characterized by High Quality and Efficiency’ was held in Jinan. Relevant leaders from competent authorities—including the Shandong Provincial Department of Science and Technology, the Jinan Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, and the Licheng District Science and Technology Bureau—attended the meeting to provide guidance. An industry expert panel was invited to participate in project consultation, evaluation, and technical review. Key personnel and researchers from the project’s lead organization, Shandong Province Seeds Group Co., Ltd., as well as participating institutions such as the Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Qingdao Agricultural University, attended the meeting to jointly plan the project’s implementation strategy and build consensus for collaborative research efforts.

Welsh onions are a distinctive and competitive vegetable industry in Shandong Province. Zhangqiu Welsh onions are characterized by their distinct regional characteristics, a solid industrial foundation, and outstanding brand value, playing a vital role in ensuring vegetable supply, increasing farmers’ incomes, and promoting the development of specialty agriculture. Currently, agricultural production is accelerating its transition toward mechanization and intelligent operations. The adaptability shortcomings of traditional Welsh onions varieties have become increasingly apparent; issues such as inconsistent plant uniformity and soft pseudostem texture make it difficult to meet mechanical operation standards, thereby reducing production efficiency, increasing labor costs, and hindering the modernization of the industry.

This project is being jointly implemented by Shandong Province Seeds Group Co., Ltd. in collaboration with the Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qingdao Agricultural University, and other institutions, with a focus on collaborative research to address the needs of the industry. At the kickoff meeting, the project team presented the overall implementation framework. The principal investigators of each subproject then delivered thematic presentations on the five major research areas—biological breeding, germplasm development, seed and seedling propagation, and high-efficiency cultivation—systematically outlining the research objectives, technical approaches, and implementation plans for each subproject.

At the meeting, relevant leaders from provincial and municipal science and technology authorities emphasized the need to closely align with the plans for the Seed Industry Revitalization Initiative, further reinforce the primary responsibility of all participating research institutions, deepen collaborative innovation among industry, academia, and research institutions, strengthen coordination and synergy among research projects, strictly enforce requirements for the management of research funding, focus on addressing practical issues and key technological bottlenecks in industrial development, accelerate the transfer of scientific and technological achievements to the front lines of production, and effectively enhance the quality and efficiency of project implementation.

The meeting appointed Researcher Shujiang Zhang from the Institute of Vegetables and Flowers at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences as the head of the project expert panel. The expert panel conducted technical reviews and in-depth discussions on the project implementation plan and provided training on related operational matters. After thorough review, the expert panel concluded that the project’s approval aligns with the policy direction for revitalizing the seed industry and closely addresses the actual needs of the sector. The research objectives are clear, the technical approach is sound, and the project possesses a solid foundation for innovation in areas such as germplasm resource characterization, gene mining, and molecular marker-assisted breeding. Furthermore, the project team has a well-balanced structure, a solid foundation of prior research, and possesses the necessary hardware and software resources to carry out the project. The expert panel recommended further strengthening collaboration among the various research subprojects during project implementation, establishing a regular communication and coordination mechanism to promote integrated project execution; at the same time, strictly enforcing relevant regulations on research funding management to ensure the proper, secure, and efficient use of funds.

According to reports, the next phase of the project will focus on the breeding of high-quality, mechanization-friendly new Welsh onion  varieties and the integration and demonstration of supporting technologies. It will closely address the new requirements that mechanized production places on Welsh onion variety traits and production techniques, strive to overcome the variety-related shortcomings that currently hinder the mechanization of Zhangqiu Welsh onion production, carry out the creation of superior germplasm and the development of new varieties, improve the system for high-quality seed propagation and supporting cultivation techniques, and accelerate the commercialization of scientific research achievements.

The implementation of this project is not only aimed at addressing the current challenges of mechanization adaptation in Zhangqiu Welsh onion production, but also at establishing a synergistic and integrated technical system encompassing ‘variety innovation—high-quality seed propagation—high-efficiency cultivation—demonstration of results—industrial application.’ By promoting the deep integration of seed industry innovation with industrial needs, the project is expected to further enhance the capacity for scientific and technological innovation in specialty vegetables and improve the quality and efficiency of industrial development, thereby providing new practical support for innovation in Shandong Province’s specialty vegetable seed industry.

In the long run, the significance of developing new varieties suitable for mechanization extends beyond the improvement and promotion of individual varieties. Driving technological innovation in the seed industry based on industrial needs, fostering the integration of agricultural machinery and agronomy through the development of new varieties, and promoting the quality and efficiency of specialty industries through the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements—all of these measures help accelerate the transformation of traditional specialty agricultural production methods, enhance the levels of mechanization, standardization, and intensification in agricultural production, and further strengthen the endogenous momentum of specialty industry development.

As part of the Shandong Province Key Research and Development Program’s Agricultural High-Quality Seed Project, the launch of this initiative marks the official start of the organizational and implementation phase of the related research efforts. Guided by industry needs and supported by scientific and technological innovation, the project team will strengthen collaborative research and the commercialization of research outcomes. They will strive to develop new high-quality, high-yield Welsh onion varieties with excellent adaptability to mechanization and refine the supporting technical systems. This effort will provide a more solid scientific and technological foundation for innovation in Shandong Province’s specialty vegetable seed industry and the high-quality development of the Welsh onion industry, while injecting new scientific and technological momentum into the development of modern agriculture and the transformation and upgrading of distinctive and competitive industries.