Written by: Sun Zhe, Xinhua News Agency
Posted on: August 15, 2018 | 
The Ili Plain Forest Farm Breeding and Test Centre
There is a popular song about “small poplar trees” of Xinjiang, which goes like this: “One small poplar tree stands by the side of a watch house with deep roots and a strong trunk. Together they are safeguarding North Xinjiang of China.” The song not only praises the tree itself, but the workers and technicians of the forest farm of Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture of Xinjiang, China, who have been serving at their posts for decades to select and cultivate fine poplar species, providing resources for the betterment of the environment of the vast lands of Xinjiang.
Located in the Valley of Ili River, West Xinjiang, the Ili Plain Forest Farm Breeding & Test Centre, is one of the biggest poplar tree gene banks of China. The fast growing and highly adaptive poplar trees cultivated here have been used for greenery, protection of the farming fields and application in industry.
Li Suqiong, a 48 year old technician of the Farm said, “The ecological environment of Xinjiang is quite fragile, and Xinjiang’s botanical species are comparatively not very rich. So we need to protect and make full use of the valuable genes of poplar trees, to preserve the present species and develop new ones through hybridization to improve the productivity of forests."
To improve the situation of relatively simple species for a satisfactory forestation effect, Plain Forest Farm has sought cooperation with academic and research centers such as the Xinjiang Forest Academy, and carried out two large-scale seed introduction programs and test plantations in the 1990s.
With years of continuous introduction and reproduction, the poplar species stored in the gene bank have increased to 550 from around 300 at the early stage of their experiments, and 35 of them have been selected for wide application. These are strong enough to survive the harsh natural environments in various areas of Xinjiang, and will be used for the protection of fields and urban greenery with the help of nursery and breeding plantations.
Working year after year, has taken away the youth of Li Suqiong, but to her satisfaction, after years of development, the Plain Forest Farm now has enough physical investment and has attracted more and more projects from agencies outside of Xinjiang. “We have cooperated with not just counties and cities in Xinjiang but also with Beijing Forestry University and Poplar Research Centre of Liao Ning Province."
Translated by Wu Jinying
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