Xu Qiang, vice-dean of the College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences of Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU), was recently granted the first "Hubei Youth Science and Technology Innovation Award".

Xu conducts research in the realm of fruit tree genomics and molecular breeding. He led his team in making breakthroughs in citrus genomics by cloning genes responsible for apomixis, fruit quality, and disease resistance, and in creating new varieties of high-quality citrus products. His findings have been published in prestigious journals such as Nature Genetics, Nature Plants, and Molecular Plant.

Xu Qiang poses for a photo. [Photo/news.hzau.edu.cn]

"When I was in college, fruit was still in limited supply, so I chose to study pomology with the simple hope that more people could have the chance to devour their favorite fruits," Xu explained.

Majoring in agricultural sciences at HZAU, he completed his PhD degree in 2007 and has been teaching there ever since.

Reflecting on the early days of his research, Xu recalled spending whole nights reading vast amounts of literature.

He has also extensively explored ancient trees and citrus resources, bringing his team to various provincial-level regions like Yunnan, Hubei, Hunan and Guangxi. "In our field, fieldwork is unavoidable and we may encounter snakes or other accidents, yet we gradually get used to it," Xu said.

One of his missions is to enhance China's seed industry security through measures such as moving fruit trees to mountains and hills to protect arable land. To realize this goal, the key is to develop seedlings suitable for mountainous terrain.

The cost of developing new varieties of citrus has been lowered. Only 100 saplings are needed to breed a new variety, compared to 10,000 in the past, according to Xu.

Thanks to his efforts, China is now at the forefront of citrus gene discovery and utilization, and possesses a wealth of genes valuable for breeding.

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), Xu envisions a future where AI aids in fruit tree monitoring, possibly by testing acidity and growth conditions or by enhancing genome research through connection of seemingly unrelated genes. However, "AI cannot replace human creativity," Xu added.