On the morning of March 5th, before the opening ceremony of the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, the first "Deputies' Corridor" interview session commenced. Under the spotlight of domestic and international journalists, National People's Congress deputy Gao Derong, a researcher from the Jiangsu Lixiahe Regional Agricultural Science Research Institute, took to the corridor for an interview.
When asked about his thoughts and experiences in safeguarding food security, Gao Derong, who has worked with wheat breeding for over 30 years, began by referencing the traditional solar term. "Like millions of farmers, I follow the rhythm of the seasons," he said. "Right now is the critical period for wheat's green-up and jointing stages, and the condition of the seedlings is complex; my phone has been ringing constantly these past few days."
Gao Derong summarized his intense work focus succinctly: "As busy as I am, I am essentially dedicated to one thing: breeding high-yield, disease-resistant wheat varieties for our country." He shared the story of his thirty-year effort to combat wheat scab, a disease often called the "cancer" of wheat, which can lead to total crop failure upon outbreak. Located in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River with high rainfall and humidity, Jiangsu is a frequent and severe outbreak area for scab. Gao Derong vividly recalled a scene from 2012: an elderly farmer standing silently by a wheat field that had been completely lost to scab, tears in his eyes. "The tears of farmers are the driving force for us researchers to tackle difficult challenges," Gao stated.
To conquer this stubborn wheat "cancer," the team moved beyond traditional breeding methods. "We employed modern biotechnologies like molecular breeding, attempting to implant 'disease-resistant genes' directly into the seeds," Gao Derong explained. After 30 years of countless combinations and repeated experiments, they successfully bred the first highly scab-resistant variety, "Yangmai 33," in 2021. This variety not only boasts strong disease resistance but also high yields, with demonstration plots achieving up to 600 kilograms per mu. This means farmers can use less pesticide, harvest more grain, and enjoy more stable yields.
"Our goal is not only ensuring people 'have enough to eat' but also 'eating well,' and making farming a promising livelihood," Gao Derong added. He cited examples such as addressing the tight crop rotation schedule in southern China's rice-wheat systems, where wheat planting is often delayed. To solve this, they developed a "rapid development at both ends" strategy, creating late-sowing tolerant varieties like "Yangmai 25," which can still yield 600 kilograms per mu even when planted in December. Furthermore, to meet the needs of food processing for items like biscuits and pastries, researchers like Gao Derong have bred high-quality, weak-gluten wheat varieties, reversing a long-standing dependence on imports. "These grain varieties are like elite 'guard teams,' contributing significantly to securing our food bowl and protecting national food security," Gao remarked.
As a people's deputy, Gao Derong's work is also evident in the fields. Questions like "Can the construction of high-standard farmland be accelerated?" and "Can agricultural subsidies be more targeted?" are voices he collects directly from the farmland. "I record these concerns as meticulously as experimental data and turn them into formal proposals," he said. One of his suggestions regarding increasing investment in high-standard farmland construction has already been adopted, raising the investment per mu from 1,750 yuan to 3,000 yuan.
The path of breeding is long and challenging. That same morning, over 30 researchers and party members from the Wheat Research Office of the Jiangsu Lixiahe Regional Agricultural Science Research Institute gathered to watch the live broadcast of the NPC opening session. Pride and inspiration were visible on every face as they saw their familiar colleague share their collective story on the national stage. "This honor belongs not only to Deputy Gao Derong but is a shared pride for all wheat breeders," said Liu Datong, director of the research office. He noted that Gao's speech reflected the original aspiration and mission of agricultural researchers: to be rooted in the fields, dedicated to breeding, and serving national food security, while also drawing greater societal attention to the vital tasks of revitalizing agriculture through science and strengthening the seed industry. "Inspired by this, we will continue to innovate and strive to breed more new wheat varieties that are high-yielding, high-quality, and multi-resistant, ensuring we firmly hold the Chinese people's rice bowl in our own hands," Liu stated.
The story of Gao Derong's three-decade dedication resonated deeply with Zhang Yong, a fellow researcher at the institute. He explained that developing a superior variety typically takes 8 to 10 years or even longer. The process, from cross-breeding and screening to yield trials, regional trials, and final approval, requires meticulous attention at every stage. "National and provincial variety approvals generally require two years of comparative trials, two years of regional trials, and one year of production testing—a full five years before approval is granted," Zhang said. To accelerate the process, the team utilizes biotechnology and multi-location generation advancement, leveraging climate differences in places like Yangzhou and Kunming to achieve multiple generations per year. They also employ molecular marker screening for key traits, significantly enhancing breeding efficiency and speeding up the application of research成果.
After watching the broadcast, Zhang Yong immediately headed to the Wanfu Wheat Experimental Base in Yangzhou, where hundreds of mu of wheat were at the crucial jointing stage. Crouching to inspect the growth and meticulously record data on jointing and tillering, his movements were practiced and thorough. "Deputy Gao's words on the corridor expressed our team's foundational commitment to the fields and our practical direction forward," Zhang told a accompanying reporter while recording data.
The breeding pursuit mentioned by Gao Derong—evolving from "having enough to eat" to "eating well"—is a persistent focus for the Lixiahe research team. Zhang Yong revealed that beyond ensuring yield and resistance, the team has long been engaged in quality improvement, specifically tackling the dependency on imported weak-gluten wheat. "Over 80% of the staple food for Chinese people consists of steamed and boiled items like noodles and steamed buns, for which high-end raw materials were once imported. Similarly, biscuits and pastries require high-quality weak-gluten wheat, which was also heavily import-dependent. The specialized, high-quality varieties we've bred have fundamentally changed this situation," Zhang explained. The team has developed medium-strong gluten varieties like "Yangmai 39" and "Yangmai 46" for high-quality noodles and steamed buns, as well as premium weak-gluten varieties like "Yangmai 13," "Yangmai 30," and "Yangmai 55" that can fully replace imports, with some varieties even finding diverse applications in baking and brewing.
This year, the team plans to release a batch of high-quality medium-strong and weak-gluten wheat varieties to the market. They will also strengthen the evaluation of breeding materials for food quality to better align varieties with market demands. "Previously, we focused mainly on grain quality. Now, we conduct comprehensive assessments, striving for continuous breakthroughs in the quality of specialized wheat to further increase the import substitution rate," Zhang Yong said.
As the midday sun shone over the wheat fields, Zhang Yong's notebook was filled with data. He affirmed that the team would remain focused on the opportunities and challenges presented by food security, continue exploring new technologies for green and efficient wheat production, nurture more young research talents, and ensure that more "Yangmai" varieties reach across the nation, spreading the fragrance of wheat far and wide.
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