Field observation and research stations:

Huanjiang and Taoyuan Station were founded as a base for studies on agricultural and forestry ecosystems in the Karst and the red-earth hilly region of China, respectively. Recently, Dongting Lake Observation and Research Station of Wetland Ecosystem is being founded in the plain-lake region. 

Some landscapes of degraded agro-ecoystems in the subtropical region of China. 1 (from the left): in the Karst region; 2: in the hilly red-earth region; and 3: in the Dongting Lake region.

Molecular biological techniques and multidisciplinary integration :

Molecular biological techniques have been widely applied in all research themes of ISA, such as soil microbial molecular ecology, molecular mechanisms of stress tolerance in crop and microbial diversity of digestive tracts in animals. Its application is also favor of demonstrating the nutrients cycling in soil-crop-animal system and promoting multidisciplinary integration.