"Peasant scientist" Zhao Zhendong

??? Jinan, 13 Jun (Xinhua)-- A record of Zhao Zhendong, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering

Xinhua News Agency reporter Ye Jing

After a bumper harvest in June, the wheat wave turned to gold. No matter in the land of Qilu or in the south of northern Xinjiang, a rare old man can be seen in the vast farmland all the year round, rain or shine. The famous and high-quality wheat varieties such as "Jimai 22" bred by him have been extended to more than 400 million mu, solving the problem of feeding more than 100 million people, adding more than 40 billion jin of wheat and more than 40 billion yuan in economic benefits. He is Zhao Zhendong, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, who is a "peasant scientist" whose papers are written in the wheat field and the results remain in the peasant family.

"if you stay in the car, you will wilt, and as soon as you enter the wheat field, you will turn green."

In the season of wheat harvest, the ground is full of gold; the harvest of wheat is busy, and the warehouse is full of grain. The annual summer harvest is also the busiest season for agricultural breeders. Zhao Zhendong, who is in his twenties and is on crutches, is no exception.

Zhao Zhendong, 74, has been engaged in wheat breeding for 32 years. The reporter recently followed Zhao Zhendong to Laizhou City, Shandong Province to check the situation of Miao. It was about a 4-hour drive from Jinan. The sky was high and cloudy all the way, but Zhao Zhendong had no intention to enjoy the scenery and kept changing his sitting posture. "there is an old problem. From the waist down, there is no place without pain in the hip and knee joints." Zhao Zhendong explained.

Li Genying, a member of the breeding team who has worked with Zhao Zhendong for many years, told reporters: "teacher Zhao is like wheat. He wilts when he is in the car and turns green as soon as he enters the wheat field."

That figures. As soon as he arrived at his destination, Zhao Zhendong got off on crutches and strode toward the wheat field. In the twinkling of an eye when the reporter closed the car door, he had reached the front of the crowd.

The path in the wheat field is not easy to walk, one foot is deep and the other is shallow, but Zhao Zhendong walks steadily. When he discovered the "new situation," Zhao Zhendong bowed down and scanned around with his arm to see the elasticity of the straw and the diseases and insect pests at the root. He then grabbed a handful of wheat ears with the palm of his hand, grasped it, and looked at the compactness of the wheat ear. Finally, he found a wheat ear, picked a few wheat grains, and put them into his mouth to bite.

As soon as this set of "prescribed actions" was completed, the data on disease resistance and lodging resistance, grain filling, and gluten degree of wheat in this experimental field were already recorded in Zhao Zhendong's mind. In the rural front line all the year round, Zhao Zhendong's intuitive judgment of the wheat field is as accurate as an instrument.

"Mr. Zhao spends more than half of the year on business trips, either choosing seeds in wheat fields or watching seedlings in various provinces. This year alone, he has traveled to nearly 10 provinces, including Beijing, Hebei, Henan and Jiangsu." Cao Xinyou, Zhao Zhendong's scientific research secretary, said, "the more winter and heat, the wind, frost, rain and snow, the more we have to go to the fields to see if the wheat is not falling, sick, or frozen. I, a young man, often find it difficult to support my physical strength and energy." but teacher Zhao has never been bitter or tired. "

??? "one out of every two Shandong steamed buns is made of 'Jimai 22'."

When it comes to Zhao Zhendong, some farmers may not know it, but when it comes to "Jimai 22", farmers are full of praise: this variety is particularly good, especially high yield, cold resistance, lodging resistance, disease resistance, and resistance to dry and hot wind.

"in Shandong, one of the two steamed buns you eat is made of Jimai 22." Liu Jianjun, a wheat expert at the Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said that since 2009, "Jimai 22" has ranked first in the planting area of winter wheat in the country for six consecutive years, becoming the most widely used wheat variety in China in the past 30 years. So far, it has been promoted to a total of 210 million mu, accounting for about 15% of the Huang-Huai wheat region in the country and about 50% of the wheat area in Shandong.

"Jimai 22" is only one of many wheat varieties bred by Zhao Zhendong's team, and many other wheat varieties such as "Jinan 17", "Jimai 19" and "Jimai 20" are also famous.

According to Liu Jianjun, "Jinan 17" is the first bread wheat variety widely used in China, and it is also the first high-quality and high-yield bread wheat with an annual planting area of more than 10 million mu in China. "Jimai 19" is a high-quality and high-yield noodle wheat variety bred by Zhao Zhendong according to Chinese eating habits. "Jimai 20" solves the problem of simultaneous improvement of protein and starch quality. it is a wheat variety used both for bread and noodles.

According to statistics, since 2000, the "Jimai" series of varieties have been promoted more than 400 million mu, with an average annual promotion of more than 30 million mu, with a market share of nearly 13% in the country, and 25% in the Huang-Huai wheat region, the main wheat producing area in China. the market share in Shandong Province is more than 50%.

With "numerous meritorious deeds", Zhao Zhendong won the second prize for national scientific and technological progress four times and was elected academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 2013. His team was awarded the excellent innovation team of Shennong China Agricultural Science and Technology Award in 2008 and Shandong Province excellent innovation team in 2009.

"the highest mountain is always the next."

White shirt, gray trousers, gray cloth shoes, with dark skin and wrinkles. In the eyes of Kong Degui, the former director of the Zaozhuang seed management station, Zhao Zhendong is no different from a farmer.

"anyone who is familiar with teacher Zhao knows that he is a 'Sanshui expert' who is covered with dew in the morning, sweat at noon and muddy water on rainy days. Not only do they dress like farmers, but when they get to the fields, they sit anywhere when they are tired, saying what the old farmers can understand, and they have no sense of distance at all. " Kong Degui said.

??? Perhaps it is because of this that Zhao Zhendong knows best how heavy Chinese rice bowls are. "the state wants grain, farmers want money, and consumers want health. As our country has a large population and little land, as the population increases and the land decreases, the quality of wheat has improved, and so must the output. " Zhao Zhendong said.

Fan Qingqi, a member of the breeding team, told reporters that since the birth of the "Jinan" and "Jimai" series, the history of China's dependence on imports of bread and wheat has been changed, the problem of feeding more than 100 million people has been solved, and more than 40 billion jin of wheat and more than 40 billion yuan of economic benefits have been added.

This brilliant achievement is definitely not the end for Zhao Zhendong's team. In 2014, they launched the "Science and Technology support Program for increasing Wheat production", with the goal of surpassing "Jimai 22" with a yield of 1600 jin per mu and breeding a new variety with a yield of 1640 jin per mu.