A view of "Jingfan Core 1.0," China's first domestically developed high-precision tomato breeding gene chip Photo: Screenshot from bjnews.com.cn

China unveiled its first domestically developed high-precision tomato breeding gene chip in Beijing on Monday, marking the end of long-term reliance on imported core tools for tomato breeding, bjnews.com.cn reported.

Named "Jingfan Core 1.0," the chip achieves complete independent control over the entire chain — from scanners and chips to reagents and software algorithms, said the report.

The chip contains nearly 5,000 key loci covering major agronomic traits such as yield, quality, disease and pest resistance, and stress tolerance. It can effectively identify related genetic variations, according to the report.
 
A gene chip is like issuing a "genetic ID card" for tomatoes. By detecting genetic information at specific loci, breeders can quickly determine which plants carry disease-resistance genes, which produce better-tasting fruit, or which have superior storage life. This enables the early selection of elite individual plants, transforming traditional experience-based breeding into precision breeding.

The loci on the chip were derived from more than 1,100 tomato inbred lines, encompassing diverse genetic backgrounds including currant tomato, cherry tomato, and cultivated varieties. Testing showed a detection rate of 99.12 percent and a detection repeatability of 99.85 percent, both core indicators reaching internationally advanced levels, said the report.

According to the international sci-tech park in Beijing's Tongzhou, the chip can be widely applied in eight major scenarios, including precise identification of germplasm resources, marker-assisted selection, variety identity verification and protection, and detection of transgenic components, which covers the entire breeding chain from basic research to variety protection, and from the laboratory to the field. 

Global Times