The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences launched an initiative on Tuesday to enhance the prevention and control of soybean diseases and pests, underscoring the critical role of crop protection in ensuring national food security and meeting production goals.

The initiative kicked off with the inaugural meeting of a coordination group in Beijing, aimed at boosting the development of innovative products and integrated technologies for the control of major soybean diseases and pests.

Lu Yanhui, head of the academy's Institute of Plant Protection, emphasized the importance of soybean pest and disease control in meeting China's national goal of enhancing soybean production capacity. The newly formed coordination group reflects a shift toward organized, mission-driven scientific research under CAAS, Lu said.

Wang Guirong, head of the coordination group, said they will bring together more than 40 scientists across 27 research projects, focusing on key areas including the fundamental biology of soybean diseases and pests, intelligent monitoring and detection technologies, and innovative prevention products.

Soybean production has been a national priority to ensure food security in recent years, with increased soybean cultivation and yields regularly highlighted in the annual No 1 Cental document.

Cao Yongsheng, vice-president of CAAS, said soybean safety is directly linked to national food security and public nutrition, encouraging researchers to integrate basic research with product development and field demonstration.

With threats from pests and diseases continuing to challenge crop yields, the effort also meets with China's push to reduce reliance on soybean imports by stabilizing domestic production through technological innovation and scientific collaboration.