The first cooperation center sponsored by the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, in China, has recently been established in Hangzhou, capital city of eastern Zhejiang Province.

It is also the first to start among 10 IAEA cooperation centers planned worldwide for the peaceful utilization of nuclear energy.

China's IAEA cooperation center is located at the Research Institute of Nuclear Agriculture under the Zhejiang University based in Hangzhou. It is devoted to plant breeding by induced mutation and related research and development, sources with the research institute said.

Under the partnership of IAEA and Zhejiang University, the center will also undertake the agency's training programs and collect information related to plant idioplasm innovation.

Nuclear technology has been widely used for plant breeding by radiation-induced mutation. With the help of such technology, the nuclear agriculture institute has bred more than 20 new plant species, including rice, maize and wheat.

Source: Xinhua