Founded in 1934, the College of Plant Protection enrolled undergraduate students in 1936, master's students in 1960, and doctoral students in 1984. In 1998, it was approved as a first-class doctoral discipline. Academician Tu Zhi and Lin Rong, and Professor Zhou Yao have taught here successively. We have educated more than 8,000 scientific elites represented by academician Li Zhenqi, Wei Jiangchun and Kang Zhensheng and outstanding figures in the fields of agriculture, rural areas and farmers, contributing to China's agricultural modernization. There are four key construction disciplines including plant pathology, agricultural insect and pest control, pesticide, integrated pest prevention and control. We are at the international leading position in wheat stripe rust and Fusarium head blight, apple rot disease, wheat pulp, fruit trees budworm, half spectacle insect systemic development and evolution, botanical pesticide research aspects. We have made an important contribution to ensure China's food production and safety.
[Faculty]
The College has 112 full-time faculties and staffs, including 45 professors, 39 associate professors, including one academician of academy of engineering, 2 national distinguished experts, 11 national leading personnel, 7national youth talent, 2 the China youth awards winner, 1 ten thousand teaching masters, 2 the national outstanding teacher, 6 famous teachers in Shaanxi Province. We have established a national teaching team for plant pathology, and a teaching team for entomology and pesticide in Shaanxi Province. We have provided strong support for high-level scientific and technological innovation and training of high-level personnel.
[Science and Education Platform]
We have 11 national, provincial and ministerial platforms, including the State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Regions, the Key Laboratory of Plant Protection Resources and Pest Management of the Ministry of Education, the largest insect museum in Asia, the National Innovation Base for Plant Pathology and the National Innovation Base for Crop Disease Resistance Breeding and Genetic Improvement. It is an innovative base for disaster mechanism and green management of important crop diseases and insect pests in international arid regions, protection and utilization of global biodiversity, and research and development of plant-derived pesticides in China. Butterfly Branch of Entomological Society of China, Plant Disease Resistance Breeding Professional Committee of Plant Pathology Society of China, Shaanxi Plant Pathology Society, Shaanxi Plant Protection Society and Shaanxi Entomological Society are all affiliated to the college.
[Scientific research]
In the past 5 years, we have undertaken 621 various projects, with 470 million RMB of funds in place. A total of 1106 SCI papers, including 42 papers in CNS journals, Plant Cell, PNAS and other high-level journals has been published. We have presided over the approval of 1 second prize of National Science and Technology Progress award, 5 first prizes of provincial and ministerial level, and created 12 new plant-derived pesticides. There are 11 transformation invention patents and 2 wheat disease-resistant varieties were released. A series of landmark achievements have been formed. For example, Professor Zhou Yao has established a relatively complete history of insect morphology, insect taxonomy and entomology in China, and enjoys the reputation of "Butterfly God" internationally. Academician Li Zhenqi is known as the pioneer in the prevention and control of wheat Stripe Rust in China. He edited the first textbook of Plant Immunology in China, and Academician Kang Zhensheng wrote the world's first monograph of Stripe Rust, which has had a profound influence globally.
[Talent Cultivation]
The college adheres to the principle of moral cultivation, aims at the forefront of plant protection science, and aims to cultivate high-level leading talents with all-round development in morality, intelligence, physical education, aesthetics and labor, with the spirit of innovation and passion for agriculture, rural areas and farmers, and with solid basic theories, systematic professional knowledge and international vision. We have 2 undergraduate programs in plant protection and Pharmaceutical Engineering. One doctoral program in plant protection, one master program in agriculture (resource utilization and plant protection), and one post-doctoral station in plant protection. There are a total enrollment of 1542 students, including 276 doctoral students, 557 master students, 684 undergraduate students and 25 international students.
[International Influence]
Outstanding contributions to ensuring food security. We led the research on the disaster mechanism of major pests in crops in arid areas, and led the establishment of new prevention and control systems for wheat stripe rust, fusarium head blight, and plasma fluke, which were promoted and applied nationwide, saving an average annual loss of about 3 billion kilograms. We have won 10 national awards and 75 provincial and ministerial awards.
Leading the frontiers of the discipline with fruitful results. Discovering the mystery of virulence variation of wheat stripe rust is regarded as a new milestone in rust research. The mechanisms of transboundary transmission of viruses, regulation of sexual reproduction of fungi and perception of transboundary signals of bacteria have been clarified, opening a new direction in pathogen microbiology research. The results have been published in CNS, Plant Cell, PNAS and other journals.
Broad academic influence and worldwide reputation. We founded Entomotaxonomia, the only international journal of insect taxonomy, and Stress Biology, the international journal of Stress Biology; The insect museum has been approved as a national second-level museum. Six international cooperative research centers have been established to cooperate with 58 first-class universities and research institutions in 32 countries. Faculties were invited to write 6 review papers in the authoritative annual review journal of international plant protection; Eight editors or associate editors of international journals.
Mission in shoulder, future can be expected. All the faculties and students of the College of Plant Protection will unite as one, stand on the international forefront of plant protection, constantly improve the ability to serve the national strategy, and continue to write a new brilliant chapter in the process of building a world-class agricultural university.
