Egyptian postdoctoral researcher Elsadek Mohamed (middle) conducts field sampling in Jinhua. [Photo/Jinhua Media Group]

Potato fields at the Jinhua Agricultural Science Research Institute's experimental base in Wucheng district, Jinhua, Zhejiang province, were thriving on May 9, as Cheng Linrun, director of the institute's Grain and Oil Crops Department, conducted field sampling alongside Egyptian postdoctoral researcher Elsadek Mohamed.

Elsadek, who earned his PhD from Zhejiang University's College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, joined the institute's provincial postdoctoral research station last September.

Thanks to Jinhua's unique climate, Elsadek and his team are screening over 10,000 potato varieties during dual potato harvests in summer and autumn, identifying those that are resilient to high temperatures and drought. The goal is to build a database of these potential varieties and conduct trial plantings in Africa, ultimately developing high-yield varieties suitable for widespread cultivation.

Elsadek and Cheng Linrun(right) discuss the growth of potato seedlings in the tissue culture room at Jinhua Agricultural Science Research Institute. [Photo/Jinhua Media Group]

Last November, with Elsadek's assistance, the institute partnered with Egypt's Qena University to initiate joint research, technology development, and the breeding of new varieties suited for Africa.