Cotton Breeding in Xinjiang and Its Intellectual Property Protection

Miaomiao XU, Wanzhen XIONG, Yueqiu HE, Chengshun SONG, Zhiguo SUN

Abstract In 2021， Xinjiangs cotton output was 5.129 million t， accounting for 89.50% of Chinas total. The autonomous region produces high-quality long-staple cotton， natural colored cotton， fine-staple cotton （upland cotton）， organic cotton， etc. The southern Xinjiang cotton area is one of the three major long-staple cotton （island cotton） producing regions in the world. This paper introduced the history of cotton planting and breeding in Xinjiang from the aspects of cultural relics records， history of entering Xinjiang， historical achievements of breeding and breeding leaders. We studied the intellectual property protection of cotton breeding in the autonomous region from the aspects of biological genetic resources， invention patents， utility model patents and new plant varieties， analyzed the six main problems existing in cotton breeding and its intellectual property protection， and discussed the tactics for cotton breeding and its intellectual property protection in Xinjiang under the strategy of strengthening the country with intellectual property. Eight suggestions in response to the Xinjiang cotton incident were also put forward， including establishing a Xinjiang national cotton germplasm nursery， protecting biological genetic resources， and strengthening the protection of creative intellectual property rights in the field of breeding to escort technological innovation in the cotton seed industry.

Key words Xinjiang cotton incident; Cotton breeding; Strategy of strengthening the country with intellectual property; Intellectual property; High-quality development

Received： April 20， 2022  Accepted： June 25， 2022

Supported by Hubei Provincial Major Research Project （LX201827）.

Miaomiao XU （1988-）， female， P. R. China， lecturer， devoted to research about ethnology and human geography.

*Corresponding author. E-mail： 815019007@qq.com.

China is the worlds second largest cotton producing country， and is listed as the worlds six cotton powerhouses with India， the United States， Pakistan， Brazil， and Australia， mainly including the northwest inland cotton area， the Yellow River Basin cotton area， and the Yangtze River Basin cotton area. Among them， the northwest inland cotton area includes Xinjiang cotton area and Gansu Hexi corridor cotton area.

Guiding Opinions of the State Council on Establishment of the Functional Zone for Grain Production and the Protected Production Zone of Major Agricultural Products （Guofa [2017] No.24）[1-2] proposed to delineate five important agricultural protected production areas for cotton， soybean， rapeseed， sugar cane， and natural rubber， and designate 2 333.3 thousand hm2 of protected production areas of cotton with Xinjiang as the focus， supplemented by the main production areas of the Yellow River and Yangtze River basins. Implementation Opinions on Establishment of the Functional Zone for Grain Production and the Protected Production Zone of Major Agricultural Products （Xinzhengfa [2018] No.28） determined that the protected production area of cotton in Xinjiang was 2 000 000 hm2 （including 400 000 hm2 of Xinjiang Corps）， accounting for 85.72% of the countrys total.

Xinjiang cotton area can be divided into two parts： southern Xinjiang cotton area and northern Xinjiang cotton area， three parts： southern Xinjiang cotton area， northern Xinjiang cotton area， and eastern Xinjiang cotton area， and four parts： middle-ripening cotton sub-area， early-middle-ripening cotton sub-area， early-maturing cotton sub-area， and extra-early-maturing cotton sub-area[3]. The autonomous region has sufficient sunshine， large temperature difference between day and night， dry climate， long frost-free period， and slightly-alkaline sandy soil， which is quite suitable for cotton growth; the low temperature in winter is conducive to killing diseases and pests such as cotton bollworms; the air is dry in autumn， which is conducive to promoting the maturation of cotton and improving the appearance and color of the fiber; during the harvest season， the weather is sunny， which is conducive to cotton picking; and the terrain of the cotton area is flat and broad， which is convenient for mechanized operation.

In 2021， Xinjiangs cotton planting area was 2 506.1 thousand hm2， accounting for 82.76% of the countrys total; its cotton yield was 5.129 million t， accounting for 89.50% of the countrys total; and the cotton yield per unit area reached 2 046.4 kg/hm2， much higher than 1 199.3 kg/hm2 in the cotton area of the Yellow River Basin and 1 049.5 kg/hm2 in the cotton area in the Yangtze River Basin. In 2019， the cotton planted by the 184th Regiment of the 10th Division of the Xinjiang Corps in the high-latitude Tacheng cotton area of northern Xinjiang reached a maximum yield of 7 800 kg/hm2， setting a new record for cotton in the world.

The autonomous region produces high-quality long-staple cotton， natural colored cotton， fine-staple cotton （upland cotton）， organic cotton， etc.， and the main indicators of cotton quality such as color grade， fiber length， strength， and micronaire value. The southern Xinjiang region accounts for more than 30% of the worlds long-staple cotton production， and is listed as the worlds three largest long-staple cotton （sea island cotton） producing areas together with Uzbekistan in Central Asia and the Nile River Valley in Egypt. The 148th Regiment of the 8th Division of the Xinjiang Corps is the hometown of Chinese colored cotton. Hoboksar County of Tacheng Prefecture is an important organic cotton base in China.

Xinjiang has formed Chinas largest cotton production base， processing base， textile and garment export base. From the planting industry to the textile industry， the upstream and downstream supporting， improved and upgraded industrial chain has been formed， and the primary， secondary and tertiary industries are integrated， so that cotton has truly become the largest economic pillar industry in Xinjiang. Among them， the scale of textiles has reached more than 20 million spindles， and more than 1 million people are employed in the textile industry. In recent years， the output value of cotton has always accounted for more than 40% of the total agricultural output value of the autonomous region， and it is an important economic source for cotton farmers of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang. Specifically， more than 65% of the household income of cotton farmers in the main cotton-producing areas comes from cotton， and the cotton industry employs 1 million people.

However， based entirely on lies and false information and under the guise of human rights， in the past year or so， international organizations such as the Better Cotton Development Institute （BCI） in Geneva， Switzerland， the NGO "Global Legal Action Network" and international brands such as the Swedish Fashion Company H&M Group have expanded the textile trade war with China to cotton， the raw material for textiles， maliciously smearing and slandering Xinjiang cotton， creating the Xinjiang cotton incident[4-6].

On September 22， 2021， the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued the Outline for Building a Powerful Intellectual Property Country （2021-2035）， drawing a grand blueprint for China to accelerate the construction of a strong intellectual property country. Strengthening intellectual property protection can promote high-quality development[7-11]. Specifically， invention patents， utility model patents， new plant varieties and other creative intellectual property rights[12-13] escort scientific and technological innovation. Traditional knowledge， biological genetic resources and other heritage intellectual property rights[14-15] inherit traditional culture. Geographical indications， trademarks， design patents and other intellectual property rights for indications[16-17] promote brand cultivation. The planting industry depends on scientific and technological innovation to win the future， and relies on variety innovation to help the revitalization of the seed industry[18].

Based on the above situation， we focus on the Xinjiang cotton incident and study Xinjiang cotton breeding and its intellectual property protection strategy under the strategy of strengthening the country with intellectual property.

Planting History and Breeding of Cotton in Xinjiang

Historical records of early cotton fabrics

The red cotton skirts of the Western Han Dynasty were unearthed in the Zagunluke tombs in Qiemo County， Bayingol Prefecture; cotton robes， half-sleeved robes and long-sleeved silk robes were unearthed from the ancient city of Loulan in Ruoqiang County during the Han and Jin Dynasties; in the Loulan LE mural tomb， incomplete long-sleeved silk robes， lined skirts， painted cotton cloth and cotton socks during the Han and Jin Dynasties were unearthed; cotton trousers， two pieces of blue batik cotton and cotton squares from the Han and Jin Dynasties were unearthed at the Niya site in Minfeng County， Hotan Prefecture; and the headbands， coverings， gloves， cotton sleeves， and blue printed cotton fabrics made of cotton in the Han and Jin Dynasties were unearthed in the Shanpula tombs in Lop County. The archaeological discoveries of these national key cultural relics protection units indicate that people living in Xinjiang during the Han and Jin Dynasties （the earliest in the Western Han Dynasty） used cotton fabrics.

Cultural relics records of early cotton cultivation

Seed cotton with grass cotton boll husks was unearthed in the Han-Jin cemetery in Yingpan， Yuli County， Bayingol Prefecture; and carbonized Gossypium herbaceum seeds in Jin Dynasty were also found in the Astana ancient tombs in Gaochang District， Turpan City. The archaeological discoveries of G. herbaceum seeds by these two state-level key cultural relics protection units indicate that people have begun to plant African cotton during the Han and Jin Dynasties.

The history of cotton entering Xinjiang

There are four cultivars of cotton： diploid G. herbaceum （also known as African cotton， short-staple cotton）， tree cotton （also known as Asian cotton， short-staple cotton）， and tetraploid sea island cotton （also known as long-staple cotton）， and upland cotton （also known as fine-staple cotton）.

The "north road cotton" （also known as the "west road cotton"）， i.e.， G. herbaceum， which originated in southern Africa， was introduced from Arabia through Iran and Pakistan during the Han Jin （or Western Han Dynasty）， stopped for a long time in the Xinjiang region and entered the Hexi Corridor of Gansu and the Guanzhong area of Shaanxi until the end of the Song Dynasty and the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty. African cotton from Xinjiang， Gansu and Central Asian countries （Uzbekistan， Turkmenistan， Tajikistan， Kazakhstan， and Kyrgyzstan） is an annual shrub and the earliest mature geographical line in G. herbaceum——kuljianum.

The "south road cotton"， i.e.， tree cotton （Gossypium arboreum L.）， which originated in India， was originally a perennial woody cotton. It spread eastward from the Indus River Basin， passed through Vietnam， Cambodia and other places， and was introduced to Yunnan， Guangxi， Guangdong， Hainan Island， Fujian and other southern regions of China during the Western Han Dynasty and extended northward to the Yangtze River Basin until the end of the Song Dynasty and the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty. The perennial Asian cotton has evolved into an annual plant in China and formed a geographical line——Chinese cotton （Gossypium nanking Meyen）， but has not been introduced into Xinjiang on a large scale.

The introduction of upland cotton （Gossypium hirsutum L.） and sea island cotton （Gossypium barbadense L.）， the main cultivated species in Xinjiang at present， is a modern and contemporary event. Upland cotton， native to the highlands of southern Mexico and the Caribbean， was introduced to Xinjiang in the 19th century. Sea island cotton， originally from Chile to Ecuador in South America， and was later introduced to North America， and once widely distributed on the southeastern coast of the United States and its nearby islands， so it is called sea island cotton. In the 1950s， through Aksu Shajingzi Agricultural Experiment Station， Turpan Cotton Farming Station， and Korla Experiment Station， the compact plant cultivated in the former Soviet Union （Uzbekistan， Turkmenistan， Tajikistan） and extra-early-maturing middle Asia type Egyptian sea island cotton varieties 2 Yi 3， 5476 Yi， 10964 and 910 Yi were successfully introduced， making annual long-staple cotton settle down successfully in the Tarim Basin in southern Xinjiang and the Turpan Basin in eastern Xinjiang.

Historical achievements in cotton breeding

Chen Shunli， honored as "Father of Chinese long-staple cotton"， at the Aksu Experimental Station of the 1st Division of the Xinjiang Corps， bred the first self-bred long-staple cotton variety Shengli 1 in the Xinjiang cotton region in 1959， and the high-quality， early-maturing and high-yielding "Junhai No.1" in 1967. From the end of the 1960s to the 1990s， this variety was the main long-staple cotton variety in Tarim Reclamation Area.

Since Junhai was bred， a total of 85 long-staple cotton varieties have been bred in Xinjiang， mainly including Xinhaimian， Xinhai series， and Hai series. These long-staple cotton varieties are mainly produced in the early-maturing long-staple cotton areas of the Tarim Basin in southern Xinjiang， and in a small quantity in the middle-maturing long-staple cotton areas in eastern Xinjiang. There are 10 main long-staple cotton varieties in the history of the autonomous region： Junhai 1， Xinhai No.3 （Hunxuan 2）， Xinhai 14， Xinhai 16， Xinhai 21， Xinhai 24， Xinhai 35， Xinhai 43， Xinhai 48 and Xinhai 53.

In 1968， the 34th Regiment of the 2nd Division of the Xinjiang Corps cultivated Junmian 1， which became the main variety of upland cotton in southern Xinjiang. So far， more than 200 upland cotton varieties have been bred in Xinjiang， mainly including Xinluzhong series， Xinluzao series， Xinmian series， Yuanmian series， Jinken series， etc. At present， among the 23 upland cotton varieties that are widely promoted in Xinjiang， in addition to the introduction of Zhongmiansuo 49 and Js206-5， 19 are bred in the autonomous region： Xinluzao 45， Xinluzao 57， Xinluzao 61， Xinluzao 63， Xinluzao 64， Xinluzao 74， Xinluzao 78， Xinluzao 80， Xinluzao 84， Huiyuan 720， Xinluzhong 37， Xinluzhong 38， Xinluzhong 46， Xinluzhong 54， Xinluzhong 67， Xinluzhong 68， Xinluzhong 69， Xinluzhong 72， Xinluzhong 78， Xinluzhong 82， Tahe 2.

The autonomous region has cultivated excellent mechanically-picking varieties of sea island cotton， such as Xinhai 35 and Xin 78， and excellent mechanically-picking upland cotton varieties such as Xinluzao 33， Xinluzao 45， Xinluzao 66， Xinluzao 74， Xinluzhong 46， Xinluzhong 68， Xinluzhong 82 and Xinluzao 83.

China Color Cotton （Group） Co.， Ltd. selected the natural variant B01 from the brown cotton BC-B strain introduced from the United States in 1995. After years of systematic breeding and southern generation-adding propagation， the natural colored cotton—Xincaimian 1 was bred in 1999， since then a new series of colored cotton varieties were cultivated.

The variety improvement of Xinjiang long-staple cotton and upland cotton has gone through the process of introduction and trial breeding， domestication selection， hybrid breeding， breeding by mutation， genetic engineering breeding， etc. The breeding system has been gradually established and continuously improved.

Cotton breeding leaders

There are 161 cotton seed enterprises in Xinjiang. There are more than 50 units involved in cotton breeding in the autonomous region， including 41 leading cotton breeding companies. Among them， there are 17 scientific research institutes， including Institute of Agricultural Sciences of the 1st Division of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps， Cotton Research Institute of Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences， Institute of Economic Crops of Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences， Xinjing Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Science， Institute of Agricultural Sciences of the 7th Division of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps， Shihezi Agricultural Science and Technology Development Research Center，  Bayingol Institute of Agricultural Sciences in Xinjiang， Xinjiang Jinbo Seed Industry Center， Shihezi Institute of Agricultural Sciences， Shihezi Institute of Agricultural Sciences in Xinjiang， Shihezi Xiayedi Test Station in Xinjiang， Institute of Nuclear Technology and Biotechnology of Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences， Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography of Chinese Academy of Sciences， Institute of Microbial Applications of Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences， Institute of Plant Protection of Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences， and Xinjiang Institute of Chemistry， Chinese Academy of Sciences.

There are 21 leading enterprises， including China Color Cotton （Group） Co.， Ltd.， Bazhou Fuquan Xinke Seed Industry Co.， Ltd.， Kuitun Wanshi Cotton Seed Industry Co.， Ltd.， Xinjiang Fuquan Xinke Seed Industry Co.， Ltd.， Xinjiang Huatian Seed Industry Co.， Ltd.， Xinjiang Huiyuan Seed Industry Co.， Ltd.， Xinjiang Talimu River Seed Industry Co.， Ltd.， Join Hope Seed Industry Co.， Ltd.， Xinjiang Dejia Technology Seeds Industry Co.， Ltd.， Xinjiang Hexin Seed Industry Co.， Ltd.， Xinjiang Huiyuan Agricultural Technology Development Co.， Ltd.， Xinjiang Jinfengyuan Seed Industry Co.， Ltd.， Xinjiang Jinhongxiang High-tech Agriculture Co.， Ltd.， Xinjiang Shida Technology Co.， Ltd.， Xinjiang Shuofeng Seed Industry Co.， Ltd.， Xinjiang Tianhe Seed Industry Co.， Ltd.， Xinjiang Yida Agricultural Science and Technology Co.， Ltd.， Xinjiang Shouxin Seed Technology Co.， Ltd.， Fengyuan Technology Co.， Ltd. of Awat Academy of Agricultural Sciences， Xinjiang Qianhai Seed Industry Co.， Ltd.， Xinjiang Xiyu Liangzi Agricultural Technology Co.， Ltd.

There are three universities： Shihezi University， Xinjiang Agricultural University and Tarim University.

Intellectual Property Protection of Cotton Breeding in Xinjiang

Biological genetic resources

Gossypium L. belonging to Hibisceae Endl. of Malvaceae is an annual or perennial herb， sometimes arbor-like. There are 51 species in this genus （47 wild cotton species[19]） in the world， among which， there are four cultivated cotton species including tetraploid sea island cotton and upland cotton， and diploid G. herbaceum and tree cotton.

Xinjiang cotton region is rich in biological genetic resources of cotton， including farm varieties （local varieties）， breeding varieties， semi-wild lines （geographical lines）， wild cotton species， and cotton relatives.

There are more than 400 cotton varieties in the autonomous region， and more than 300 cotton varieties have been approved and named. Among them， there are Junhai 1， Junmian 1， Xinsponge， Xinhai series， Hai series， Xinluzao series， Xinluzhong series， Jinken series， Xincaimian series， Xinmian series and other self-breeding varieties （including 81 new varieties in Table 2）. Those introduced from the mainland include Lumian 1， Lumianyan 36， Zhongmian 12， Zhongmian 17， Zhongmian 19， Simian 3， Jimian 492， Zhongmiansuo 35， Zhongmiansuo 49， Zhongmiansuo 88， Zhongmiansuo 92， Zhongmiansuo 96， Liao 3790， Liao 6271， Liao 6351， Liao 7141， Zhongzi 9102， Zhongzi 9196 and other varieties. In addition， the cotton varieties introduced from overseas include Uzbeks C6022， the former Soviet Unions 5230 Fu， 9122 Yi， 2 Yi 3， 8763 Yi， 8981 Yi， 108 Fu， 611 Bo， KK1543， C-3173， C-1470 and C-4774， Egypts Giza 45， Giza 60， Giza 70， Giza 75 and Giza 76， American Bima 5， and American transgenic varieties PHY805RF， PHY802 and RF.

Patents for invention

In the field of cotton breeding， Xinjiang has won 57 national invention patents. Among them， 11 are special for upland cotton， and 14 are special for sea island cotton.

Shihezi University has 10 national invention patents in the field of cotton breeding： Upland cotton GhMS20 gene and its application in creating cotton monodominant male sterile lines， A recurrent selection breeding method of upland cotton based on monogenic dominant nuclear sterility， Use of Verticillium dahliae conidium yield-related protein VdpdaA2， Use of Verticillium dahliae conidium yield-related protein VdpdaA3， Use of Verticillium dahliae pathogenicity-related protein VdpdaA1， RNAi vector for expressing HaAK gene dsRNA in transgenic plants and its application， A promoter and intron for regulating gene expression in plant seeds and application thereof， Plant expression vector， aphid gene dsRNA expression vector and application thereof， A method for preventing gene drift of transgenic cotton by utilizing nectariferous plants， and A method for improving the transformation efficiency of pollen tube pathway by using virulence gene of Agrobacterium strains.

Xinjiang Agricultural University （as an independent applicant， or the first applicant） has 10 items： Abiotic stress inducible promoter and application thereof， Application of cotton GhBsr-k1 gene， A cotton fiber development-related gene GbWRKY40 and its expression vector and application， A cotton fiber development-related gene GbWRKY32 and its expression vector and application， A cotton drought resistance gene and its expression vector and application， Culture mediums and kits for preparing cotton embryogenic calli and their use， Culture mediums and kits for preparing cotton embryogenic calli and their use， An Agrobacterium liquid spray transgenic method， A genetically-modified sea island cotton cultivation method， Application of GhMYB44 gene in cotton callus differentiation and development.

Institute of Nuclear Technology and Biotechnology， Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences has five patents： A method for improving cotton fiber quality by overexpressing GhCAD6 gene， A method for obtaining transgenic sea island cotton， Cotton Verticillium wilt-related gene GhBONI and its encoded protein and application， Cotton stress tolerance gene GhCBF and its encoded protein and application， Application method of GhUGP1 gene in improving cotton fiber quality.

Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Science has four patents： Cloning and application of a stress-inducible promoter pGhWRKR2 in upland cotton， A promoter for plant leaf-specific expression and its application， Application of plant unsaturated fatty acid content-related protein GhSAD in identification of cold resistance， and A method for trans-breeding of high-quality colored sea island cotton by introgression.

Chen Quanjia and Qu Yanying （from Xinjiang Agricultural University） have three items： A cotton TRY gene， Agrobacterium-mediated transformation method of sea island cotton， A sea island cotton DREB transcription factor gene and application thereof. JOIN HOPE Seeds Co.， Ltd. has 3 items： Method of improving salinity tolerance of cotton by using LeDNAJ gene and application， A cotton GhLAC4 encoding gene， cotton disease resistance module miR397-LAC4 and application thereof， and Cotton miR164a and NAC100L and their application in regulating plant Verticillium wilt resistance.

Institute of Economic Crops， Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences has three patents： A method for selecting and breeding salt-tolerant cotton varieties based on rapid development of embryos into seedlings， A method for rapid development of embryos into seedlings， A breeding method for cotton varieties suitable for mechanical harvesting. Xinjiang Yida Agricultural Science and Technology Co.， Ltd. have 3 items： A breeding method for a new line of sea-island cotton for ultra-fine spinning high-count yarn with low micronaire value， Cotton tissue culture method using cotyledon petioles as explants， and Transgenic technology of island cotton pollen tube pathway method.

Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography， Chinese Academy of Sciences have three items： Application of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase and its encoding gene in breeding drought-resistant transgenic cotton， Breeding drought-resistant transgenic cotton by utilizing late embryogenesis abundant proteins and their encoding genes， and A new technique of "double-plant and double-layer" cotton cultivation. Xinjiang Shouxin Seed Technology Co.， Ltd. have two patents： A breeding method for a new variety HZ-148 of filmless cotton， and A breeding method of a new variety HC-159 of filmless cotton.

Fengyuan Technology Co.， Ltd. of Awat Academy of Agricultural Sciences， Shihezi Agricultural Science and Technology Development Research Center， Shihezi Institute of Agricultural Sciences， Tarim University， Institute of Microbial Applications of Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences， Institute of Plant Protection of Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences， Xinjiang Qianhai Seed Industry Co.， Ltd.， Institute of Agricultural Sciences of the 1st Division of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps， Institute of Agricultural Sciences of the 7th Division of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps， China Color Cotton （Group） Co.， Ltd. and Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences all have one patent each， and the patents are A production method of organic long-staple cotton raw material for spinning 300-count combed cotton yarn， A seed production technique of hybrid cotton by plug seedling raising and transplanting， A preservation and utilization method of northern wild cotton germplasm resources， A breeding method of new cotton varieties with disease resistance， A in-vitro culture technique for regenerative plants of direct multiple shoots from cotton epicotyls and decapitated epicotyl explants， A solid medium pollen and its preparation method and application， A breeding method of cotton with resistance to Verticillium wilt， A seed production method of hybrid cotton， A three-line matching breeding technique of cotton， A breeding method of a brown long-staple cotton variety， and A method for screening disease-resistant cotton plants， respectively.

Utility model patents

In the field of cotton breeding， Xinjiang has obtained 19 national utility model patents （Table 1）.

3.4 New plants varieties

On May 20， 2005， the genus Gossypium L. was included in the Protection List of New Varieties of Agricultural Plants of the Peoples Republic of China （the sixth batch）. So far， there have been 81 cotton new varieties of cotton in Xinjiang （Table 2）.

Main Problems Existing in Xinjiang Cotton Breeding and Its Intellectual Property Protection

Insufficient diversity of genetic resources for cotton variety improvement

The number of cotton varieties improved in Xinjiang is relatively small. Most of its upland cotton varieties are descendants of Daizi cotton， Tuozi cotton， Sizi cotton， Jinzi cotton， Kezi cotton and other varieties introduced from the United States， which are derived from 12 cotton plants from an upland cotton family in Mexico， with a narrow genetic basis， making it difficult to breed varieties with high traits. The main sources of its sea island cotton varieties are derived from the former Soviet Unions 8763 Yi， 5904 Yi and 9122 Yi， and their genetic relationship is relatively close. For example， among the 14 sea island cotton varieties bred in southern Xinjiang， 13 are from the Central Asian Egyptian-type sea island cotton line 9122 Yi， so they have a high degree of similarity and a narrow genetic basis.

Mainly using conventional cotton breeding methods

Conventional breeding methods such as systematic breeding and hybridization are mainly used， and modern breeding techniques such as distant hybridization and molecular breeding， aerospace breeding and nuclear breeding are rarely involved.

No many varieties of cotton suitable for mechanical harvesting

Cultivating cotton varieties that are more suitable for mechanized picking is the core technology for the development of Xinjiangs cotton industry， and it is also a technology that needs to be solved urgently. Cotton varieties suitable for mechanical harvesting should have the characteristics of compact plant type， susceptible leaves to defoliation and ripening agents， and high specific breaking strength of cotton fibers. The existing cotton varieties have poor mechanical properties， which seriously affect the net recovery rate， recovery efficiency and harvest quality of mechanical harvesting， especially long-staple cotton varieties.

Colored cotton varieties and cotton varieties with better quality and suitability need to be continuously created

There are few varieties of colored cotton， and only 25 varieties of the Xincaimian series of China Color Cotton （Group） Co.， Ltd. have been launched， of which only six have obtained new plant variety rights （Table 2）. Better cotton varieties with high fiber quality， high yield， early maturity and high temperature resistance， cold resistance， salinity resistance， herbicide resistance and disease and pest resistance need to be continuously created.

Fewer patents in cotton breeding

Cotton breeding is a key link in the cotton industry chain and a key area of the cotton innovation chain. However， Xinjiang has few national invention patents and national utility model patents in the field of cotton breeding （A01H category in the IPC International Patent Classification）. There are only 57 national invention patents （11 special for upland cotton and 14 special for sea island cotton） and 19 national utility model patents.

Small contribution of colleges and universities to new varieties

Shihezi University， Xinjiang Agricultural University， and Tarim University have strong strengths in the field of cotton research in Xinjiang， and have won 24 national invention patents in the field of cotton breeding （including three by Chen Quanjia and Qu Yanying of Xinjiang Agricultural University）， two National utility model patents （including one item by Zhang Wei of Shihezi University）， but no new cotton varieties （Table 2） have been obtained， and the contribution to new cotton varieties is small.

Xinjiang Cotton Breeding and Its Intellectual Property Protection Strategy

Establishing a Xinjiang national cotton germplasm nursery to protect biological genetic resources

It is necessary to carry out in-depth protection of cotton germplasm resources. On the basis of Aksu Shajingzi Agricultural Experiment Station， Turpan Cotton Farming Station and Korla Experiment Station， Xinjiang National Cotton Germplasm Garden can be established to protect cultivated cotton species （especially farm varieties， breeding varieties， geographical lines）， wild cotton species and cotton relatives， so as to protect cotton biological genetic resources.

Introducing new varieties to enrich the diversity of cotton germplasms

New varieties should be introduced， especially Egyptian type and American Egyptian type sea island cotton and distant geographical lines of upland cotton， in order to fully tap the genetic resources of wild cotton. Systematic breeding， hybridization and modern breeding technologies can be applied to cultivate new varieties， enrich the diversity of cotton germplasms， and carry out in-depth basic research such as selection and breeding of excellent varieties. The construction of cotton seed breeding bases with high standards， large scale and excellent quality should be accelerated to improve cotton supply capacity.

Making full use of modern molecular biological technologies to develop molecular marker-assisted breeding and transgenic breeding of cotton

We should make full use of modern molecular biological technologies such as genomics， molecular biology and bioinformatics， and use molecular markers that are closely linked or co-segregated with target genes to identify the genotypes of selected individuals in a target region， or introduce foreign genes through physical， chemical or biological methods into cotton cells to express corresponding functions in the cotton genome by genetic transformation. It is necessary to explore molecular design breeding and develop cotton molecular marker-assisted breeding and transgenic breeding.

Making full use of the modern space technology and nuclear technology to carry out cotton space mutation and radiation mutation breeding

It is necessary to make full use of domestic aerospace breeding bases， aerospace breeding satellites and agricultural nuclear breeding bases. The modern aerospace technology and nuclear technology can be applied to produce genetic variation of cotton and select new cotton varieties under the conditions of microgravity， high vacuum， strong radiation， alternating magnetic field， and rays.

Carrying out joint research on mechanical cotton picking to overcome difficulties in both machinery and varieties

Experts in cotton breeding， agricultural machinery and other fields at home and abroad can cooperate to carry out joint research on cotton mechanical harvesting， develop more suitable automatic cotton picking machines， and breed new varieties that are more suitable for mechanical picking， especially long-staple cotton， so that difficulties in machinery and varieties can be overcome.

Improving the breeding of colored cotton and various types of cotton， and promoting ecological division and regional planting of varieties

Modern breeding technologies such as molecular biological breeding， aerospace breeding and nuclear technology breeding can be applied to carry out color cotton breeding. Various types of new varieties such as high quality， high yield， early maturity， disease resistance， insect resistance， herbicide resistance， high temperature resistance， cold resistance， early resistance， alkali resistance and salt resistance can be planted in different regions divided on the basis of ecological zoning to promote the ecological division of cotton and the regionalized planting of varieties.

Strengthening the protection of creative intellectual property rights in the field of breeding to escort the technological innovation of the cotton seed industry

The research in the field of cotton breeding should be strengthened to create knowledge and technologies， which will strengthen the creation， application， protection， management and service of creative intellectual property rights such as invention patents， utility model patents and new plant varieties in the field of breeding， which will escort technological innovation in the cotton seed industry， promote scientific innovation in the key links of the cotton industry chain， and develop the knowledge economy and innovation economy of the cotton industry.

Establishing a collaborative innovation model for government， industry， academia and research to achieve high-quality development of the cotton seed industry

Leading cotton breeding enterprises， leading seed management enterprises， leading planting enterprises， leading agricultural machinery enterprises and other enterprises in Xinjiang， demonstration cooperatives in national farmer professional cooperatives， Shihezi University， Xinjiang Agricultural University， Tarim University and other colleges and universities， Institute of Agricultural Sciences of the 1st Division of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps， Cotton Research Institute of Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Science， Institute of Economic Crops of Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences， Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Science， as well as agricultural and rural departments and Xinjiang Corps should be organized to establish a collaborative innovation model of government， industry， academia and research in cotton seed industry， implement the innovation-driven strategy and the strategy of strengthening the country with intellectual property rights， and achieve high-quality development of the cotton seed industry， so that scientific and technological innovation and high-quality development of the cotton industry in Xinjiang can be promoted.

References

[1] SUN ZG， DING GP， XIONG WZ， et al. Building of the production protected areas of important agricultural products in the Mufu Mountain Area， Hubei Province[J]. Journal of Anhui Agricultural Sciences， 2020， 48（8）： 245-247， 250. （in Chinese）.

[2] SUN ZG， LIU ZY， XIONG WZ， et al. Building of the functional zones of grain production in the Mufu mountain area， Hubei Province[J]. Hubei Agricultural Sciences， 2020， 59（1）： 198-201. （in Chinese）.

[3] YAO YS. New Discussion on Xinjiang cotton division[J]. China Cotton， 2001（2）： 2-5. （in Chinese）.

[4] TANG T. "Xinjiang cotton" incident and the rise of domestic clothing brands[J]. Shandong Textile Economy， 2021（9）： 38-39，42. （in Chinese）.

[5] LI XL， JIANG QY. The impact of national brand social responsibility on market value： Based on the "Xinjiang cotton" incident[J]. Modern Business， 2021（25）： 22-24. （in Chinese）.

[6] NIU F. Xinjiang cotton incident： Cold thinking after hot search[J]. China Textile， 2021（Z2）： 84-85. （in Chinese）.

[7] WAN LL， CHEN YR. The impact of intellectual property protection on high-quality economic development： Empirical data from 30 Chinese provinces from 2008 to 2017[J]. Science and Technology Management Research， 2021， 41（17）： 136-143. （in Chinese）.

[8] WANG GM， CHENG KM， LUO YS. The impact of intellectual property protection on high quality economic development： Empirical test based on panel quantile regression model[J]. East China Economic Management， 2021， 35（7）： 66-74. （in Chinese）.

[9] GAO YR. Intellectual property protection lays a foundation for innovative economy and high-quality development[J]. China development observation， 2021（7）： 31-33. （in Chinese）.

[10] SUN YP， YUAN ZY， LIU YS， et al. Discussion on high-quality development of authentic medicinal materials in Enshi Prefecture under the strategy of rural revitalization[J]. Journal of Zhejiang Agricultural Sciences， 2019， 60（8）： 1408-1412. （in Chinese）.

[11] SUN YP， SUN YL， WU Z， et al. High-quality development and regionalization of medicinal and edible Coix[J]. Guizhou Agricultural Sciences， 2019， 47（10）： 129-134. （in Chinese）.

[12] SUN YP， WU Z， CHENG Z， et al. Research on inheritance， innovation and development of traditional Chinese medicine Atractylodes[J]. Journal of Zhejiang Agricultural Sciences， 2020， 61（11）： 2245-2249， 2252.

[13] SUN YP， CHENG Z， LIU YS， et al. Study on agricultural intellectual property protection and scientific and technological innovation of traditional chinese medicine honeysuckle[J]. Shandong Agricultural Sciences， 2019， 51（4）： 157-161.

[14] SUN YP， LIU YS， CHENG Z， et al. Research on the protection of Chinese traditional medicine Pinellia ternate for treating COVID-19[J]. Hubei Agricultural Sciences， 2020， 59（13）： 199-204.

[15] SUN ZG， LIU ZY， XIONG WZ， et al. Research on application of agricultural intellectual property in the battle against poverty in the Mufu mountain area， Hubei Province[J]. Hubei Agricultural Sciences， 2019， 58（S2）： 512-516.

[16] SUN YP， CHENG Z， WU Z， et al. Research on the inheritance， innovation and high-quality development of Chinese herbal medicine Atractylodes[J]. Hubei Agricultural Sciences， 2020， 59（11）： 203-207， 213.

[17] SUN ZG， XIONG WZ， DING GP， et al. Study on building of advantage areas of characteristic agricultural products and flourishing of characteristic industries in the Mufu Mountain Area， Hubei Province[J]. Journal of Anhui Agricultural Sciences， 2020， 48（7）： 253-255.

[18] ZHANG F. Dont forget that the agricultural seed industry uses technological innovation to win the future， relying on variety innovation to boost the revitalization of the seed industry[J]. Today Science and Technology， 2021（11）： 57.

[19] DU XM， ZHOU ZL， JIA YH， et al. Collection and conservation of cotton germplasm in China[J]. Cotton Science， 2007（5）： 346-353.