Rhododendron is one of the traditional "top ten famous flowers" in China. There are about 1,000 species of Rhododendron plants in the world, and about 600 species of Rhododendron plants in China, accounting for more than half of the world's Rhododendron resources. Rhododendron is popular with customers because of its wide variety of colors and patterns, and long ornamental time. In addition to being a good indoor ornamental plant, it can also form a beautiful scene whether it is planted as a single shrub under the forest or planted as a whole to create a Rhododendron sea.

However, although there are abundant wild rhododendron resources in China, few varieties are applied in practice. Undertaken by Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences in 2018, the central government forestry technology extension and  demonstration project “Demonstration and Extension of Improved Breeding of Rhododendron and Technology of Efficient Interplantation with Economical Forest”(project number: Su [2018] TG02) aims to expand rhododendron’s application rang by displaying rhododendron seedlings (the new superior varieties), demonstrating the technology of seedlings breeding and its efficient interplantation with economical forest.

We have planted various varieties such as 'Diewu', 'Nuanyangyang', 'Yanzhimi', 'Zhongyuanhong', 'Hongshanhu' in a 2000-m2 rhododendron seedling base in Lishui, Nanjing. The base also demonstrates key breeding technologies of elite rhododendron varieties, including cutting breeding and tissue culture techniques. Funded by the project, we have also established two interplantation demonstration bases (13.18 acres and 6.59 acres respectively) which incorporates the key interplantation techniques of rhododendron and economic forests. The economic forest included deciduous tree (such as Zelkova serrata, lagerstroemia indica and maple trees) and evergreen species (such as sweet-scented osmanthus and loquat tree).   

In 2019, the project team participated in "2019 Baguazhou Rhodedendron Culture and Art Carnival" and “the 16th Chinese Rhodedendron Exhibition" and exhibited the potted plants and seedlings of new varieties of ‘Yanzhimi’, ‘Zhuangyuanhong’, ‘Hongshanhu’. The project team also held a training workshop on azalea seedling breeding technology for nearby forest farmers at the project demonstration base and gave out training manuals. During the implementation of the project, Changzhou Fanglu Jinshan Lake Ecological Agriculture Tourism co., LTD. (located in Shangruan Village, Xuebu Town, Jintan District) was driven to develop 19.77 acres interplantating rhododendron seedlings and economic forest. The application of azalea seedling breeding technology and local standards in Jiangsu Province, such as east azalea variety ‘Yanzhimi’ and planting technology regulations for greening azalea, has promoted the standardized production of azalea germchit and seedlings in seedling enterprises in Wuzhong, Jiangsu and Jiashan, Zhejiang.