Invited by Dr. Manjeet SETHI, the Executive Director of the Pest Management Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC-PMC), DDG ZHANG Bujiang led a delegation of IPP visited AAFC, on 8-13 October, 2016, to discuss mutually interested issues including research direction, resource sharing, application of international collaboration programs, talent training and establishment of communication mechanisms and to sign a joint action plan for collaborative research in crop protection. Prof. CAO Aocheng, the director of the Department of Pesticide Sciences, Prof. XU Xuenong, the deputy director of the Department of Biological Control, Prof. HE Chenyang from the Department of Biotechnology for Plant Protection and Dr. WANG Lixia, the deputy director of the Department of International Cooperation and Graduate Student, joined the delegation and took part in the exchange and visit activities.

This was a fruitful visit in exchange of agricultural science and technology. DDG ZHANG Bujiang and Director Manjeet Sethi signed the Scientific Cooperation Action Plan in crop protection between IPP, CAAS and Science and Technology Branch, AAFC. Both Parties agree to implement the Action Plan to cooperate and collaborate in following research fields: Biology, genetics, genomics, and bioinformatics of agricultural crop pests and their infection and invasion mechanisms; Development of novel pest management technologies; Pesticide residue and food safety. Both Parties will carry out this Action Plan through a number of possible activities including the following: Organize aligned scientific conferences, scientific seminars, and training activities; Encourage cooperative research between the aligned laboratories of both parties; Apply for the international project funds from bilateral governments and international and regional donors. During the visit, the officials and scientists from both sides exchanged fully the research areas, the progress made and the achievements obtained in respective researches and reached mutual understanding. Director SETHI greeted the delegation and recalled his two visits to IPP in 2015 and 2016, respectively. He was impressed by the achievements attained at IPP. AAFC-PMC was ready to strengthen deep collaboration in crop protection areas with IPP, Director SETHI said. DDG ZHANG recalled the collaboration history between the two sides and hoped to strengthen the collaboration and exchange in visits between scientists, joint training of graduate students, and joint application of research programs. Afterwards, Deputy Director WANG Lixia and Profs. XU Xuenong, CAO Aocheng, and HE Chengyang gave the presentations, respectively. The experts from both sides exchanged the issues on international research hot spots, the research ideas and novel research techniques in related areas, discussed the intension and specific ways in mining and exchanging of beneficial natural enemies and plant disease resistance germplasm resources. The two sides discussed the feasibility of joint research, joint application of international funds, joint graduate training and short-term training. The delegates visited related laboratories in AAFC-PMC and Ottawa Research and Development Centre, AAFC , accompanied by Director SETHI and Dr. LIU Shuhua.

The visit to AAFC was successful and reached the expected aim. The signing of the Scientific Cooperation Action Plan is beneficial for the concrete deep collaboration and laid solid base for future collaboration.