Weed Research Laboratory (WRL) belongs to the Institute of Plant Protection (IPP), Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), which was established in 1975, is a non-profit national center dedicated to both basic and applied research of weed science in China. The objective of WRL is to study and seek the resolution to the main problems theoretically and economically important in weed science of the country, and committed to develop and extend the research achievements to improve the agro-ecosystem and environmental protection, and promote the international collaboration and exchange.

The research fields in WRL could be devided into several parts, such as weed biology and ecology, mode of action of herbicides, herbicide bioassay and safety evaluation, bioherbicide, allelopathy, herbicide application technology, weed-crop-herbicide-environment interaction, mechanism of herbicide resistance, biosafety analysis of GM crops and integrated and sustainable weed management.

Weed Research Laboratory currently has 10 more researchers, including 3 professors, 2 associate professors, 3 assistant professors and the others are graduates pursuing master or doctoral degree. WRL is the first laboratory certified by the Academic Degree Committee of the National Council who has the authority to grant doctoral degrees in weed science, and it also could be a working station for postdoctoral research. The laboratory has gradually developed into an important center for advanced weed research in China. WRL has an administration sectors of scientific research management and international cooperation, an affiliated experimental station located in Langfang, Hebei Province. All the facilities in other laboratories in IPP of CAAS could be shared in common, such as national key laboratory for biology of plant diseases and pests, the key laboratory of pesticide chemistry and application technology of Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), biosafety research center of MOA, supervision and test for plant disease and pest resistance of MOA, and Chinese Society of Plant Protection.

WRL has been undertaking lots of research projects from the national program, serving as a nationwide coordinator for the research collaboration in weed science. Approximately 20 national and international research projects were under implementation, including the National Basic Research and Development Program, the National High-Tech Research and Development Program, the National Key Technological Research and Development Program, the projects of Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), the ministerial and provincial research projects and international collaboration program.

In WRL, more than 100 scientific research papers and over 20 books have been published, including "Weed Control Manual in Farmland" (2000), "Two compounds from allelopathic rice accession and their inhibitory activity on weeds and fungal pathogens" (Phytochemistry, 2004), "Allelopathic Plants XV. Ageratum conyzoides" (Allelopathy Journal, 2004) and "Use of allelopathy for weed management in China-A Review" (Allelopathy Journal, 2005). The laboratory has won more than 10 awards for scientific achievement, including 1 national advanced science award, 3 national invention awards, 2 awards of the ministerial or provincial levels. As the leading organization of Weed Science Society of China, CSPP, WRL hosted the 18th Asian-Pacific Weed Science Society Conference in Beijing in 2001.

With the increasing progress of scientific research, improvement of working conditions and development of international collaboration, WRL will certainly be one of the national centers covering main research fields in weed science, and has the excellent capability to undertake the research projects and make the outstanding research progress. WRL will make fundamental, strategic and profound contributions to weed science, agricultural production and food safety of the country.