To improve the understanding of quality related traits in the major crops grown in China, a national key basic research program is initiated to study the genetic basis of grain quality in wheat, oil and protein qualities in soybean and fiber quality in cotton. The quality traits in elite Chinese wheat, soybean and cotton germplasms will be investigated using molecular and functional genomics methods. The resultant resources (genes, molecular markers, elite breeding lines) will be harnessed to establish molecular breeding systems for high quality wheat, soybean and cotton varieties. Main emphasis is given to genetic improvement of wheat grain and soybean seed qualities because the current lack of high quality wheat and soybean varieties is limiting the competitiveness of Chinese wheat and soybean products in international trade. The generation of novel scientific knowledge is another important part of the program. This project is running for approximately five and a half years (from January 2003 to August, 2008).