Institute of Cotton, Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences is originated from Beiping Agricultural Experiment Station founded in 1945, and derived from the Cash Crop Institute in 1984. The Institute is mainly engaged in research of genetic breeding, biotechnology and germplasm resources innovation, cultivation, and physiology, and practical technology of cotton. The institute is the only one provincial institute specialized in cotton research in Hebei Province. The Hebei Branch of National Cotton Improvement Center, and the Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology and Genetic Breeding for the Semi-arid Huanghuaihai Region of the Ministry of Agriculture Enjoy are affiliated to the Institute.
The institute covers a floor space of 26,616 square meters, having experimental area of 600 mu. The institute possesses 438 pieces of major instruments and equipments. The institute has a staff of sixty, including 51 scientific researchers in which 26 of them are with higher academic title, 13 of them are professors, 6 of them with doctor degree and 24 with master degree. In the institute, 2 experts enjoy the Sate Council Special Allowance, 1 expert is with the title of Provincial Giant Talent, 1 expert with the title of Provincial Excellent Expert, 1 expert with the title of Provincial Excellent Professionals, 4 experts are with title of Young Scientist Having Outstanding Contribution to Province, 1 expert got May Labor Day award, 4 experts are among the Provincial Three Level Talents Program.
There are nine departments, namely the integrated office, financial office, molecular breeding research group, genetics and breeding research group, regional pilot projects group, cultivation, physiology and ecology research group, efficient cropping research group, central laboratory, and center for technology transfer and service.
The Institute has got 70 research achievements awards, including 38 awards of national and provincial level, and 7 ratified patents. Furthermore, over a thousand kinds of different germplasm of cotton have been created. So far, 63 new varieties has been developed, including 11 new variety approved by National New Variety Committee. The varieties developed in the institute have been widely used in Hebei, with a market share of over 50%. The research achievements developed by the Institute have been widely applied in Hebei and its neighbor province, with social and economic benefit of more than 10 billion RMB.