Describe your research briefly.

In China, I focused on discovery of quantitative trait loci (QTL) affecting rice yield and quality. I developed near isogenic lines (NIL) based on the QTL mapping results. Once NILs are obtained, the targeted gene can be isolated by the combination of the map based cloning method and the candidate gene isolation method.

In Denmark, I am trying to develop allele specific markers for disease resistance genes in ryegrass. Disease resistance genes show a common nature in sequence structure across different crops. Some amino acid motifs are very conserved and the DNA sequences encoding these motifs are used to identify other putative disease resistance genes.

What was your first experiment as a child (with pets, siblings, insects, household chemicals etc.)?

When I was a child, I found in the evening of summer, lots of cicades crawled from a hole in the ground, but next morning they were in the tree and singing at noon. It is so strange. And asked my self how it could change to become a very different insect in one night. I caught a cicade when it crawled up from the ground, and I put it in a box, observing how it took off its coat and developed its wings and changed its color.

What made you study plant biology?

In the 1980´s, in my village, a farmer sowed the late season rice in the spring by mistake. Although the rice plants grew very nicely, they did not flower in the summer when all early rice sowed at the similar date was harvested. The late season rice did not flower until the autumn. The reason why the late season rice did not flower at the same time as the early rice is that it is sensitive to short day, but at that time I didn’t know. I have been very interested in rice science from then on.

What is so interesting about plants?

Important agronomy traits like yield and quality are controlled by many genes - the quantitative trait loci. Most of these genes have little effect, but in the right combination, they have great influence. In a primary population, the genetic effect of such genes is hard to evaluate, but in advanced materials, the genes affecting quantitative traits can be studied like single genes inherited in the Mendelian way. Identification of genes controlling important agronomy traits is very interesting and helpful in plant breeding.

Which places in the world have your study and work brought you?

I got my PhD at Huazhong Agricultural University in China, and then got a position at the Molecular Biology Division at The National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement. Meanwhile I got the chance working at The Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences (Danmarks JordbrugsForskning) in Denmark.

Do you ever spend time on anything but research?

I worked in a government department for one year. After work in Denmark, I teach my daughter mathematics and Chinese. I also like a good game of table tennis or to play cards, for example a popular Chinese game called tractor. I tried to learn Danish, but I gave it up because it is so difficult for me.

Do you have a message or something you would like to tell?

In the plant kingdom, there are still lots of questions to be answered. With more research, more of the plants secrets will be discovered, and more interesting applications will be possible. Research is highly important for feeding the worlds population in the future.