The scientific and technological innovation goals of the Institute of Subtropical Agriculture (ISA) are to develop knowledge and techniques for improving the utilization and management of agricultural resources, and for constructing the South agricultural research and demonstration platform, and for establishing sustainable agro-ecosystems in the subtropical regions of China. The research subjects in ISA have further extended to three landscape regions (lowland, hilly and Karst), and will achieve significant progresses of research capacities in the areas which are highly concerning to improve the agricultural production and environmental quality in the subtropical region of China.

Main goals of researches as planned are as follows:

i) To develop an approach using modern information systems to quantitatively evaluate changes in agricultural ecosystems for the subtropical regions in China, in special that can be used for the Karst region with large land variations.

ii) To develop the methodology which can spatially quantify the dynamics, fluxes, and changes in C, N, P, and other important elements in agricultural ecosystems (nutrients or contaminants) in landscape scale, and simulate models.

iii) To develop the new methods of molecular nutrition for studying animal N and P metabolism, regulation of immune functions, emission reduction of N and P, and to develop the technology of improving the utilization efficiency in the subtropical hilly grassland. Make breakthrough in the AA metabolism in animal tissues and organs.

iv) To clone key genes of submergence, cold or drought tolerance in rice and maize and to develop new rice and maize varieties with herbicide and drought resistance.