Innovation team of Genetic Improvement and Biotechnology in Cruciferous Vegetable Crop

1.Introduction

Principal Investigator: Professor Lugang Zhang

Professor of the College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University. Scientist of new cultivar breeding on Agriculture Research Systems for the vegetable industryof Shaanxi province. Main research focuses on genetic improvement, biotechnology, and new cultivar breeding of Chinese cabbage.


Concurrent Academic Appointment


The member of the council of Chinese horticultural society (CHS), deputy secretary-general of CHS cruciferous branch, committee member of the vegetable specialized committee of CHS, member of the council of China agricultural biotechnology society, member of the council of modern agriculture and space mutation breeding of China hi-tech industrialization society, member of the council of International horticultural society cruciferous branch, member of water supply and irrigation work group of vegetable specialized committee of International horticultural society, executive director of Shaanxi horticultural society and inheritance society, member of council of Shaanxi invention society, committee member of vegetable sub-group of Shaanxi agricultural specialist service group member of China invention association and Shaanxi provincial biochemistry association.

The editorial board member of the Journal of Changjiang Vegetable (academic version)

The reviewers of Planta, Molecular Breeding, Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology, Acta Horticulturae Sinica, Scientia Agricultura Sinica, and Chinese Journal of Agricultural Biotechnology

The reviewers of the National Natural Science Foundation, the Natural Science Foundation of Beijing City, the award of Chinese Agricultural Science and Changjiang Scholar


2.Main Research Fields & Contents


1)Cruciferous vegetables germplasm improvement and breeding: specific germplasm resources innovation, and the selective breeding of the ordinary, orange and purple heading Chinese cabbage, cabbage, and radish, which have high quality and yield, multi-resistance, bolting resistance, long storage, and transportation


2)Vegetable biotechnology: the selection and application of molecular markers of important trait, the important gene cloning, and function verification, the microspore culture, in vitro regeneration of cotyledon and leave, transgenic research

3)Germplasm improvement and evaluation: the identification and evaluation of biological characteristics of main disease pathogen, disease and stress resistance, and bolting tolerance in Chinese cabbage and cabbage

4)Secondary metabolites regulation: the gene expression and regulation of secondary metabolites of carotenoids, anthocyanins, and flavonoids in Chinese cabbage

5)Male sterility breeding technology: the genetic mechanism of cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS), molecular markers, gene cloning, and sterility mechanisms in Chinese cabbage, cabbage, and radish

6)Vegetables' developmental biology: the mechanisms of head formation and the lobed leaf of Chinese cabbage and radish aborted bud.


3.Major Projects Undertaken


National High-Tech Research and Development Program of China (863 Program)


National Natural Science Foundation of China

National Science and Technology Support Program from the Ministry of Science and Technology of China

The Earmarked Fund for China's Agriculture Research Systems for the Vegetable Industry from the Ministry of Agriculture of China

National Special Program for the Thirteenth five-year-plan

Special Fund for Agro-scientific Research in the Public Interest from the Ministry of Agriculture of China

Major Scientific and Technological Projects from the Government of Shaanxi Province

Extension of Agricultural Scientific and Technological Achievements


4.Academic Achievements


Our group has been engaged in cruciferous vegetable resource innovation, biotechnology, new variety breeding, and green production. Excellent germplasm resources, innovative breeding techniques, and methods were created. We have bred 21 Chinese cabbage varieties, including ten varieties with award national certification, two orange varieties, and two spring varieties; 17 cabbage varieties among whicheight varieties were awarded with national certification, and five radish varieties. We have been awarded 21 national invention patents and three new plant variety certifications for protection. We have received 20 science and technology awards, including the national scientific and technological progress second prize for “breeding and extension application of Qin Bai series of Chinese cabbage with high quality and yield and multi-resistance,” the third prize of national invention for "breeding

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technology of Chinese cabbage heterologous cytoplasmic male sterile lines," two first prizes and six-second prizesin Shaanxi province'sscientific and technological progress, and one first prize in Shaanxi provincial scientific and technological extension. We have published over 200 academic papers, including more than 30 SCI papers.


5.Team Members


Research group includes six faculty and staff from the College of Horticulture. We conduct research supported by the State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas and the Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology and Germplasm Innovation in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture. The research team includes professors, associate professors, young lecturers, and graduate students.


Dr. Limin Zhao, Professor of the College of Horticulture and head of the Xi’an comprehensive test station for staple vegetables of the Ministry of Agriculture of China, special scientific commissioner for the government of Xi’an city,

Research Description: Genetic breeding of Chinese cabbage,radish, bakchoi, and flowering Chinese cabbage.


Dr. Maixia Hui, Professor of the College of Horticulture,

Research Description: Germplasm resource genetic improvement and new variety breeding, genetic breeding technique and method, biotechnology. In recent years, focusing on the development of leaf morphology, molecular markersfor diseases of Chinese cabbage, and mapping, cloning, and functional analysis of genes for other important agronomic traits, alien addition lines created by distant hybridization and evaluation, etc.


Dr. Mingke Zhang, Associate Professor at the College of Horticulture,

Research Description: Germplasm resource genetic improvement, new variety breeding, and biotechnology in Chinese cabbage. Recently, he focused on seed vivipary, male-sterile transformation, and their application in Chinese cabbage.


Dr. Zhongmin Xu, Professor of the College of Horticulture andchief expert of the test and demonstration station of NWSUAF in Yanliang, Shaanxi,

Research Description: Cabbage germplasm resource genetic improvement and new variety breeding. Recently, he focused on disease-resistant genetic breeding, haploid breeding, male-sterile application, and genetic mechanisms in cabbage.


Dr. Baohua Li, Professor of the College of Horticulture.

Research Description: Functional Genetics and Genomics Study of Brassica Vegetables, Transcriptional Regulation of Plant Metabolisms in Brassica Vegetables.


Dr. Shanshan Nie, Lecturer at the College of Horticulture,

Research Description: Molecular mechanisms of self-compatibility in Chinese cabbage.