Li Zhensheng

Li Zhensheng

Li Zhensheng (February 25, 1931 -), born in Zibo, Shandong Province, is a geneticist, expert on agricultural development strategy, wheat geneticist and breeder. He is the founder of wheat distant hybridization breeding in China. He is known as "contemporary Houji" and "father of wheat distant hybridization in China". In 2006, it won the highest national science and technology award.

He graduated from the Department of agronomy of Shandong Agricultural University (now Shandong Agricultural University) in 1951. He was elected academician of the Third World Academy of Sciences in 1990 and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1991.

Li Zhensheng is mainly engaged in the research of Wheat Genetics and distant hybridization breeding. At the same time, he has carried out the research of agricultural development strategy, systematically studied the distant hybridization between wheat and Thinopyrum, and bred a series of "Xiaoyan" varieties, such as Xiaoyan No.4, No.5, No.6 and other high-yield, disease resistant, high-quality wheat varieties, and bred new hybrid types such as Xiaoyan octoploid, alien addition line, alien substitution line and ectopic line Type.

Character experience

He was born in Zibo City, Shandong Province on February 25, 1931.

In 1951, he graduated from the Department of agronomy of Shandong Agricultural University (now Shandong Agricultural University).

In 1956, he went to Yangling, a small town in the west of Shaanxi Province, from Beijing Laboratory of genetic selection, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and started the research on Wheat Breeding in Northwest Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shaanxi Province. Since then, Li Zhensheng began his 31 year scientific research career in Northwest China.

From 1985 to 1987, China's grain output declined. Li Zhensheng led the agricultural expert group of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to put forward suggestions on the management of medium and low yield fields in the Huang Huai Hai region through three months of investigation and research. With the strong support of Zhou Guangzhao, then president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, he led 400 scientific and technological personnel from 25 research institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to invest in the main agricultural battlefield of Hebei, Shandong, Henan and Anhui provinces, and carried out large-scale management of medium and low yield fields in cooperation with local governments and brother units.

In 1987, he put forward the proposal of harnessing the middle and low yield farmland in the Huang Huai Hai Plain, and took the lead in organizing and implementing the "agricultural Huang Huai Hai Campaign" in the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which played a leading role in promoting China's grain production. In November of the same year, Li Zhensheng inspected the Yucheng experimental area and thought that "one piece of three depressions" represented the main low yield types in the Huang Huai Hai Plain, and his experience was particularly valuable.

From February 26 to 29, 1988, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Dezhou District of Shandong Province jointly held a "meeting on science, technology and production", at which Li Zhensheng made a mobilization speech. At the meeting, 24 research institutes and 4 functional bureaus of the Chinese Academy of Sciences introduced 251 technological achievements, exchanged and connected with more than 600 people from 13 county (city) leaders, township cadres and farmers' households, which played a role in mobilizing the whole academy and Shandong Province.

In 1990, he was elected to the Third World Academy of Sciences.

In 1991, he was elected to the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

In 1995, in order to break the four-year stagnant situation of China's grain production, Li Zhensheng put forward the report of "problems, potential and Countermeasures of China's agricultural production" to the central rural work conference, and put forward the countermeasures to increase grain production by 100 billion jin.

From 1999 to 2003, when China's grain production decreased for five consecutive years in, he put forward the proposal to strive for three years of restorative growth of grain.

In 2003, in view of the five consecutive years of grain production reduction in China, he put forward the proposal to strive for three years to achieve the recovery of grain growth.

In April 2005, at the Boao Forum, Li Zhensheng responded to Lester Brown's best-selling book "who will feed China" 10 years ago.

On August 15, 2007, Li Zhensheng visited Tencent and told netizens about his life experience.

Main achievements

Achievements in scientific research

New hybrid types such as octoploid, alien addition line, alien substitution line and ectopic line of Triticum aestivum were bred. The excellent genes of drought resistance, dry hot wind resistance and multiple wheat diseases resistance of Triticum aestivum were transferred into wheat, and new Triticum aestivum varieties No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 were bred. By 1988, the total extension area of Triticum aestivum aestivum No. 6 was 54 million mu, and the yield of wheat was increased by 3.2 billion jin Using blue endosperm gene of Thinopyrum elongatum as genetic marker, the blue grain monosomic wheat system was created for the first time, which solved the two problems of "univalent chromosome drift" and "too much work for chromosome number identification" in the utilization of monosomic wheat for a long time, and developed a new method of rapid breeding of Wheat Alien Substitution Lines The results of this study provide a basis for wheat chromosome engineering breeding.

In 55 years of scientific career, we systematically studied the distant hybridization between wheat and Thinopyrum, and bred a series of "Xiaoyan" varieties. A new breeding system for blue grain monosomic wheat and chromosome engineering was established. In order to introduce foreign genes into wheat purposefully and rapidly, he bred blue grain monosomic wheat and self flowering and self setting emascular wheat system with "Xiaoyan blue grain" obtained from distant hybridization, and established a new method for rapid breeding of Wheat Alien Substitution Lines, which opened up a new way for wheat chromosome engineering breeding. A new breeding direction of high efficiency utilization of phosphorus and nitrogen in wheat was created, a new field of wheat breeding was opened up to improve the absorption and utilization efficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus, and a new breeding direction with the goal of "less input, more output, environmental protection and sustainable development" was put forward. Through systematic identification and screening of nitrogen and phosphorus efficient wheat germplasm resources, in-depth study of its physiological mechanism and genetic basis, to cultivate new wheat varieties that can efficiently use soil nitrogen and phosphorus nutrition, and promote them in a large area.

He bred a new distant hybrid between wheat and Elytrigia elongata "Xiaoyan 6", which has become an important backbone parent of wheat breeding in China. There are more than 50 derived varieties, which have been popularized for more than 300 million mu, increasing wheat yield by more than 15 billion jin. The blue grain monosomic wheat system with blue seed as genetic marker and the self flowering and self fruiting nullisomic wheat system were developed by using "xiaoyanlanli" obtained from distant hybridization. A new method for rapid breeding of Wheat Alien Substitution Lines, the nullisomic backcross method, was established, which opened up a new way for wheat chromosome engineering breeding. Through interdisciplinary cooperation, the research on improving the photosynthetic efficiency of wheat individuals and populations and optimizing the distribution of photosynthetic products was carried out. Plan and organize the "Bohai granary" project to isolate new varieties and strains of salt tolerant Triticum.

1.YangXinghong,ChenXiaoying,GeQiaoying,LiBin,TongYiping,LiZhensheng,KuangTingyun,andLuCongming(2007).Characterizationofphotosynthesisofflagleavesinawheathybridanditsparentsgrown underfieldconditions.JournalofPlantPhysiology ,164:318-326.

2.ZhangXueyong,TongYiping,YouGuangxia,HaoChenyang,GeHongmei,WangLanfenLiBin,DongYushenandLiZhensheng(2007).HitchhikingEffe ctMapping:Anewapproachfordiscoveringagronomicimportantgenes.AgriculturalSciencesinChina ,6:255-264.

3.ZhengQi,LiBin,MuSumei,ZhouHanping,LiZhensheng(2006).Physicalmappingoftheblue-grainedgene(s)fromThinopyrumponticumbyGISHandFISHinasetoftranslocationlineswithdiffer entseedcolorsinwheat.Genome ,49:1109-1114.

4.AnDiaoguo,SuJunying,LiuQuanyou,ZhuYongguan,TongYiping,LiJunming,JingRuilian,LiBin,andLiZhensheng(2006).MappingQTLsfornitrogenuptakeinrelationtotheearlygrowthofwheat(TriticumaestivumL.).PlantandSoil,284:73-84.

5.SuJunying,XiaoYanmei,LiMing,LiuQuanyou,LiBin,TongYiping,JiaJizengandLiZhensheng(2006).MappingQTLsforphosphorus-deficiencytoleran

Chinese PinYin : Li Zhen Sheng