On December 12-13th, in order to strengthen the exchanges and cooperation in Asian region on the tropical crop - livestock farming systems sustainable diversification, CATAS and the International center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) co-held an International Conference on " the Sustainable Diversification in Tropical Crop-Livestock System in Asia: Biological Nitrogen Fixation by Forage Legume ". Pr. Liu Guodao, vice president of CATAS attended the meeting.
On the conference, Pr. Liu Guodao expressed that the tropical husbandry plays an important role in China, and it is also one of the key research areas at CATAS. CATAS has been a cooperation partner with CIAT for 35 years, and with fruitful achievements in the fields of pasture and cassava. The International Conference on Asian regional forage and microorganisms in response to the "the Belt and Road" initiative, will promote the Asian countries to carry out in-depth cooperation in the field of forage, has an important significance for the development of tropical husbandry.
Dr. Brau Lambert of Deakin University and Dr. Massimiliano De Antoni Migliorati of University of Queensland in Australia, presented the theme report respectively on BNF in forage legumes and Use if isotopes for assessing BNF in forage legumes , introduces the progress and method of research in biological nitrogen fixation in legumes.
Dr. Didier Lesueur, soil microbiology expert in CIAT-Asia introduced the research of CIAT in the biological nitrogen fixation of tropical leguminous pastures. Delegates from each country outlined their research work on biological nitrogen fixation in leguminous pasture. Dr. Huan introduced CATAS research on the tropical forage genetic resources and breeding, cultivation and utilization.
The participants agreed to strengthen the cooperation in the field of legume forage biological nitrogen fixation, training courses, and joint projects.
Dr. Didier Lesueur also visited the laboratories of Rubber Research Institute and Bioscience and Biotechnology Institute, and highly appraised the research work in CATAS, expressed strong cooperation intention, and both sides studied the establishment of CATAS-CIAT joint laboratory in hoping to set up a cooperative research platform soon.
More than 50 scientists from Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Vietnam etc. 11 countries, and domestic experts from China Agricultural University, Southwestern University, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences and CATAS participated in the conference. The meeting was organized by the international cooperation committee of Chinese Society for Tropical Agriculture and TCGRI of CATAS.
