On June 24th, the National Congress on Science and Technology, the National Conference on Science and Technology Awards, and the Joint Conference of Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering were held in Beijing. Professor Fan Guoqiang's project, titled Breeding of Fast-growing and Disease-resistant Paulownia Varieties and Key Technologies for Industrial Upgrade, which he led to completion, was honored with the Second Prize of the National Scientific and Technological Progress Award. This marks the third time Professor Fan's team has received this prestigious award, following their successes in 2010 and 2015.
For many years, Professor Fan's team has focused on advancing the high-quality development of Paulownia trees. Employing advanced technological methods, they have conducted systematic and in-depth research on the basic biology of Paulownia, variety breeding, and key technologies for industrial upgrading, yielding a series of innovative research outcomes. They established the world's first comprehensive genetic information platform for Paulownia; elucidated the mechanisms by which Paulownia's fast growth and phytoplasma inhibit its innate immune response, guiding the direction of global Paulownia biology research; pioneered a new method for directional breeding of superior Paulownia varieties, cultivating four new, fast-growing, and disease-resistant Paulownia varieties in the 'YuTong' series, tackling the 'core technology' issue in the Paulownia seedling industry; and developed environmentally friendly techniques for Paulownia wood decolorization, processing, as well as the manufacturing of high-end furniture and soundboards for traditional musical instruments, resolving the 'bottleneck' problems hindering the upgrade of the Paulownia industry. These achievements have been widely implemented in six provinces and regions including Henan, Shandong, and Guangxi, yielding significant economic, ecological, and social benefits. They have thereby contributed 'Paulownia power' to the implementation of the national strategies for poverty alleviation and rural revitalization.
