The Shaanxi provincial key laboratory of sericulture was established in October 2006, under the approval of the Department of Science and Technology of Shaanxi Province. The academic adviser of the laboratory is academician Xiang zhong-huai, and the director of the laboratory is professor Qian yong-hua.
The sericulture laboratory mainly focuses on applied research, but also conducts some basic studies. By carrying out researches like the development and utilization of wild resources of sericulture, research and promotion of creative technologies in sericulture industry, and comprehensive development and utilization of sericulture products, the laboratory has led the upgrade of sericulture industry, and promoted the developing of local economy. In addition, the sericulture laboratory relies on the discipline of agriculture resources and environment, which is a crucial provincial supporting discipline.
The laboratory currently has a strong research team with 26 researching staff and 10 professional researching staff, in which there are 4 researchers with a master degree and 1 with a doctor degree. Besides, the researching staff of laboratory includes 1 researcher and 4 associate professors.
The scientific research spaces of the laboratory are over 900 square meters. Moreover, the laboratory also constructed more than 10 scientific research demonstration bases in counties of Ankang City, such as Hanbin district and Shiquan County. And the laboratory now has 110 units/sets of equipments, including Cycler Thermal Cycier, GEL Imaging System and other instruments. The total worth of the entire laboratory equipments is over 3.4 billion CNY. Besides, the laboratory also established a wild resources database for silkworm germplasm, through collecting over 530 domestic and oversea mulberry varieties, more than 50 wild silkworm materials and over 10 wild mulberry materials.
In recent years, more than 70 grants has been given to our sericulture laboratory; the grants are from various funds, such as the national agriculture special funds, the Silk Industry Funds from the Ministry of Commerce, and the 13115 Major science research project of Shaanxi province. The overall research funds are over 1.5 million CNY each year. Furthermore, the laboratory has won 3 provincial or ministerial awards and 5 municipal or departmental awards, breeded 2 colorful species of cocoon silkworms, formulated 17 local standards for sericulture technology, and published 2 monographs.
With the propose of establishing distinctive and preponderant discipline, and promoting local economic development, the sericulture laboratory continuously enhances its cooperation relationships with local governments and enterprises, gradually constructs a university-centered scientific research and promotion system of new sericulture technologies and a production-study-research service system for the scientific and technological achievements.
