Chapter 113 Xiaoyan No. 6

Hua Luogeng told the students about the necessity of diligence, Qian Sanqiang shared his own experience in research, and Ai Siqi expounded on materialism and dialectics to cultivate students' philosophical thinking.

"Learning some philosophy can indeed help people make fewer mistakes and take fewer detours in research," said Li Zhensheng. From the reports given by several scientists, Li Zhensheng learned professional knowledge and ideological guidance and benefited a lot.

The genetic selection laboratory where Li Zhensheng worked was divided into three departments: genetics group, physiological group and cultivation group. Initially, Li Zhensheng was assigned to the cultivation group, where he studied under soil scientist Feng Zhaolin and studied how to improve the soil.

At the same time, Li Zhensheng also collected more than 800 different forage grasses and conducted in-depth observations and studies on their characteristics. In his day-to-day research, Li Zhensheng accumulated valuable experience.

Now the problem is that Li Zhensheng is good at wheat planting. 】

People from all dynasties: ? ? !

"Isn't this a mess? This is the future father of wheat in China. Isn't this talent going to be wasted?" The man had been listening attentively. He had already put himself in the shoes of Li Zhensheng, who came from a poor family but worked hard to improve himself. He became anxious when he heard the words.

By the 20s, Li Zhensheng had the opportunity to turn his experience into practice. In 50, the central government issued a call to move to the northwest. Li Zhensheng gave up the good treatment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and resolutely embarked on the journey to the northwest.

After a long journey of several days, Li Zhensheng arrived in Yangling, Shaanxi, a poor and backward town. There, Li Zhensheng began his research on wheat breeding. Since then, Li Zhensheng's 31-year life in the northwest began.

In 1956, China's agricultural development encountered a huge crisis. Wheat stripe rust spread wildly and grain production dropped sharply. The so-called "stripe rust" is an epidemic disease of crops. It can be spread through air currents and has the characteristics of fast spread and high incidence.

When stripe rust first occurs, it is difficult for people to detect it. However, once it breaks out on a large scale, wheat production will decrease by 30% to 50%. For a major wheat-growing country, this disease can be a devastating blow.

The 25-year-old Li Zhensheng was facing such a serious crop disease for the first time and was very worried. The factors causing stripe rust are very complex, and the most fundamental reason is that the breeding speed of improved varieties is slow, and the speed of virus mutation is much faster than the research speed of improved wheat varieties.

The only way to reduce the impact of stripe rust is to prevent the disease from occurring. After careful consideration, Li Zhensheng decided to breed disease-resistant varieties to improve wheat's immunity against diseases.

Li Zhensheng had studied forage grass for many years before, and he selected the most disease-resistant Elymus ovatus.

People of all dynasties: ???

Why are they a little confused?

Aren’t you talking about the problem of wheat disease?

This disease is indeed a headache and a despair for those who grow wheat.

But, but...

What does this have to do with weeds?

tomorrow.

The village chief, who encouraged his Majesty to go find corn, scratched his head.

Mediterranean’s head is full of question marks.

"Tianmu, this is serious..."

He really couldn't imagine that weeds could be related to wheat.

"Probably... yes." The villager was also a little uncertain.

Suddenly I felt that the land cultivated in later generations might be different from the one they cultivated.

[What is going on? Why is Li Zhensheng concerned about the weeds on the ground?

Because they plan to transfer the disease resistance of forage grass to wheat through gene transfer. The gene transfer method seems simple, but it is actually very difficult.

Li Zhensheng also gave a simple explanation: "It is like finding a husband for wheat. Because wheat is distantly related, just like the offspring of a horse and a donkey, a mule, is infertile, so it is very difficult to let the offspring of wheat obtain the disease-resistant genes of grass."

The dynasties could hardly believe what they heard.

Later agronomists were too crazy.

Is this idea feasible?

No, is it possible for a human being to have such an idea?

However, Zhao Guo raised his eyes and stared at the sky with burning gaze.

I really appreciate Li Zhensheng's boldness.

Make bold assumptions and verify carefully.

This kind of thing is beyond imagination.

[Although Li Zhensheng's idea was bold, it was successful.

How did he succeed? Let’s take a closer look. 】

As soon as they heard that it was successful, no matter which dynasty it was, they became excited.

Tianmu, could you please stop wasting time and speak quickly?

Although this Weed Wheat idea is too crazy and the operation is too advanced.

But in order to prevent wheat from being disturbed by stripe rust in the future, they may as well give it a try.

[Researching hybrid wheat is extremely difficult, and Li Zhensheng could not complete it alone. Soon after, he found botanist Wen Honghan and plant pathologist Li Zhenqi. After getting the approval of professional scientists, Li Zhensheng was greatly encouraged.

He led his team to devote themselves to the research, starting a long process of experimentation, failure, and re-experimentation.

The difficulties in the research once greatly frustrated Li Zhensheng's team, and doubts came from all sides. Some people said that Li Zhensheng was sensational, some people said that he was fanciful, and no one believed that forage grass and wheat could be hybridized. Although the experiment failed again and again, Li Zhensheng's team never gave up.

Li Zhensheng's research on the hybridization of forage grass and wheat requires resources. If the project fails to produce results, it will be banned.

Zhensheng spent a lot of energy studying distant hybridization, while also focusing on close hybridization, using the research results on close hybridization to support distant hybridization. The two projects were promoted simultaneously, and Li Zhensheng sacrificed all his rest time.

God helps those who work hard. In 1979, after a long research and countless failures, Li Zhensheng's team successfully transferred the disease-resistant and stress-resistant genes of Elytrimus japonicus into wheat, and developed Xiaoyan No. 6. In this way, wheat possessed the disease resistance unique to forage grass.

Xiaoyan No. 6 was first tested in Shaanxi, where it beat out other competitors with its super-high yield. Soon after, Xiaoyan No. 6 was listed as a major planting variety by the Shaanxi Agricultural Department, and the new hybrid wheat began to be promoted on a small scale.

Later, new Xiaoyan series wheat varieties such as Xiaoyan No. 4, No. 5, and No. 81 were introduced. The disease resistance of wheat was greatly enhanced, the problem of stripe rust was also solved, and grain production increased significantly.

In 1980, the disease-resistant Xiaoyan series began to be promoted, with 1.5 million mu planted, an increase of 60 billion kilograms compared to the previous production. At the same time, other improved varieties of the Xiaoyan series were also successfully cultivated, with a total of 70 varieties, with a planting area of ​​up to 3 million mu and an increase of 75 billion kilograms. The research time of the Xiaoyan series was too long, and it was Li Zhensheng's regret that the problem of insufficient grain production could not be solved as soon as possible. Therefore, Li Zhensheng once again invested in the research of new products, planning to hybridize wheat of different colors with forage grass.

If a wheat ear has seeds of different colors, researchers can select good varieties based on the color of the seeds without further experiments, which greatly improves the efficiency of wheat research and planting.

Li Zhensheng's hybridization technology has created a high-yield wheat kingdom.

The wheat yield has greatly increased, and the farmers are delighted. There is a saying circulating in the farmland: "If you want to eat noodles, plant Xiaoyan."

In a short time, the Xiaoyan series became a star among wheat varieties, and Li Zhensheng, the breeder of the Xiaoyan series, also became a celebrity in the agricultural industry.

Li Zhensheng's contributions spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred, and he gradually established prestige among the farmers.

Facing the sudden honor, Li Zhensheng had a flat reaction. He said: "We can eat steamed buns and bread today, we should thank nature and the grass that provided the wheat with excellent genes."

Although Li Zhensheng has become famous, he still keeps his feet on the ground. He still runs between wheat fields and laboratories, and regards the breeding of improved varieties and hybrid wheat as his top priority.

Someone once advised Li Zhensheng that wheat hybridization has entered a new field and it is no longer so hard. Li Zhensheng said: "The farmers are the ones who really rate me."

Qin Dynasty.

Even Ying Zheng was a little envious.

How come there are all kinds of talented people in later generations?

The most interesting thing is that the government seems to be fully supportive.

He simply couldn't imagine whether he would have the patience to continue supporting a research that only made progress after 31 years.

Probably not.

But if you think about it carefully, you still have to see what you are researching.

If it is valuable and meaningful to Daqin...

31...

If Ying Zheng knew a saying from later generations, he would probably say that this research lasted longer than the life of his Qin Dynasty.

[The research of the Xiaoyan series took too long, and Li Zhensheng was not able to solve the problem of insufficient grain production sooner, which has always been a regret. Therefore, Li Zhensheng once again invested in the research of new products, planning to hybridize wheat of different colors with forage grass.

If a wheat ear has seeds of different colors, researchers can select good varieties based on the color of the seeds without further experiments, which greatly improves the efficiency of wheat research and planting.

This research has accumulated a lot of experience. Li Zhensheng is very good at it. After just a few years, Li Zhensheng realized the color classification of wheat varieties. Relying on this hybridization technology, my country has once again cultivated more than 50 new varieties, and the promotion area has reached 3 million mu. 】

The people of every dynasty no longer know what to say.

If we really have to say it, it’s probably that they will have a big boss like this here someday.

By then, they can afford to wait until 31 years, let alone 62 years, as long as they can have such great wheat.

After the successful breeding of hybrid wheat, China's wheat planting has undergone earth-shaking changes. The only thing that has not changed is Li Zhensheng's life of focusing on research. He still wears simple clothes and lives a tight life.

Li Zhensheng, who considers himself a farmer, always retains the simplicity that belongs only to farmers. Li Zhensheng has no hobbies, does not smoke, and has no entertainment activities. In his spare time, Li Zhensheng would take a walk around, visit the wheat breeding base, and occasionally practice calligraphy.

Li Zhensheng has devoted himself to wheat hybridization research for decades and has achieved great success, but he has neglected his family. For Li Zhensheng's family, reunion is a luxury, but his family has never complained and has become Li Zhensheng's strong support.

While studying hybrid wheat, Li Zhensheng learned that his mother was seriously ill. He only took care of her for a while before returning to the experimental field. When his mother died, Li Zhensheng was still doing research in the laboratory.

In 2003, Li Zhensheng's wife was hospitalized due to cerebral hemorrhage and has been bedridden ever since. Li Zhensheng traveled back and forth between the hospital and the laboratory, taking care of his wife regardless of weather conditions, which moved the medical staff. After his wife's condition improved, Li Zhensheng took her home to take care of her.

Li Zhensheng specially prepared a notebook for his wife, in which he recorded the changes in her condition, as rigorously as he would treat his own research.

The pressure from academics and life exhausted Li Zhensheng. He started taking a lot of medicine, but still did not give up his scientific research career.

From 1985 to 1987, wheat cultivation entered a bottleneck period. During these years, the Chinese population increased by 5000 million, but the wheat production did not increase. Li Zhensheng was very worried about this. If there was still no breakthrough in wheat cultivation and planting, the country would eventually run out of money.

Li Zhensheng and other agricultural scientists conducted research day and night, and visited wheat planting bases in various places for field investigations in search of breakthroughs.

In Fengqiu County, Henan Province, Li Zhensheng discovered that after the improvement of medium and low-yield fields, wheat production increased from 400 kilograms to 1000 kilograms. In 1984 alone, this small county contributed 1.3 million kilograms of grain to the country.

If the experience of Fengqiu County is promoted, even if it cannot achieve the maximum increase in income, it can at least ensure the growth of grain.

With the support of the State Council, Li Zhensheng led 400 scientific researchers to the Huanghuaihai Plain to improve the low- and medium-yield fields. Six years later, the national grain output increased by 6 billion catties, and wheat production finally broke through the bottleneck.

In 1995, Li Zhensheng, who was already 64 years old, ignored everyone's dissuasion and insisted on going to the ecological station at an altitude of meters. The mountain road was bumpy and Li Zhensheng was already very tired, but he was unaware of it. Li Zhensheng once said: "I am willing to sacrifice my life for scientific research."

Today, Academician Li Zhensheng is 90 years old, and he still works hard in the wind and rain to grow wheat. He is the father of hybrid wheat, and like Yuan Lao, he is the guardian and savior of the "wheat field", and the backbone of the nation that leads the Chinese nation out of famine and toward prosperity.

He is our hero, our protector.

He was indifferent to fame and fortune throughout his life, and worked hard for wheat, the country, and thousands of Chinese people.

It is because of them that China is prosperous today. 】

Tang Dynasty.

His Majesty Erfeng felt that his thoughts had come to a standstill.

I don't know whether to be shocked that modern people can live to be over 90 years old, or to be shocked by the hundreds of millions of kilograms of grain produced at every turn.

Can such talents really exist in the world?

……

Under the sky, all dynasties were discussing this issue enthusiastically.

[This is the end of Li Zhensheng’s legendary experience. Now let’s talk about the third protagonist of this issue, Mr. Yuan Longping.

He is a famous agricultural scientist in my country, the pioneer and leader of China's hybrid rice industry, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and is known as the "Father of Hybrid Rice in the World."

Yuan Longping has won the "National Special Invention Award", the "First Highest Science and Technology Award", the United Nations "Science Award", the "Wolf Prize" and the "World Food Award".
In 2019, he was awarded the "Medal of the Republic".

(End of this chapter)