SEED EXPERT AIMING
TO FEED THE NATION AND THE WORLD
Zhao Jiuran has dedicated nearly 40 years to researching the development of new strains of corn.
Zhao decided to conduct field research in Yanqing district on Beijing’s outskirts after he graduated with a master’s degree in 1986.
In 1997 he was appointed director of the Corn Research Center at the Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, with the aim of accelerating the cultivation and promotion of new corn strains.
However, in addition to a lack of funding, he worried about the shortage of germ plasm resources, which are the foundation of corn breeding.
“Developing new strains is like mining: You never obtain gems or gold without rich mines and raw materials,” he said.
In the center’s early days
Zhao’s team had only a few varieties of corn seeds. It lagged far behind other research institutions, which had thousands of germ plasm materials. Once when he encountered a stranger feeding pigeons with corn he grabbed some of the grains to use in his work.
During business trips overseas, unlike some people who preferred to go shopping, Zhao liked to wander around flower and seed stores to buy various items for his research.
In 2000 two new corn varieties were approved and promoted at the academy’s demonstration base, marking the center’s first batch of selfdeveloped seeds.
Selecting and breeding new seed varieties is a long, painstaking process which can take as long as 10 years.
The center’s developmental efficiency has greatly improved since 2015, when it combined several breeding techniques and modern equipment in its work.
“Although we had limited corn material, we made a remarkable achievement by cultivating more than 80 varieties over 10 years,” Zhao said, adding that one of the center’s breeding techniques has been awarded a national patent.
All 50 of the new corn varieties authorized last year have been bought by seed companies, which are promoting them across large parts of the country.
Even as Zhao achieved his goal of breeding more than 100 corn varieties, planted across a total of 27.9 million acres of farmland, he was working to make innovations with high nutritional values and better flavors.
Jingkenuo 2000, a sweet and glutinous corn first bred in 2006, has been exported to the U.S., Vietnam and South Korea. The suffix nuo refers to the corn’s waxy texture.
“Our products are seen in supermarkets in the U.S. and on street stalls in South Korea that sell traditional grilled corn,” Zhao said.
Nongkenuo 336, a sweet and waxy variety developed last year, has become the most popular corn on the market and is regarded by consumers as the tastiest strain, he said, noting that the flavor has been praised for its original taste at several international conferences.