Awarding ceremony of “Yunnan Science & Technology Prize 2023” was held on September 3 in Kunming. Among the prize winners, Prof. Chen Jianghua  and Prof. Su Tao of Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) were honored with the first prize of Yunnan Provincial Natural Science Awards. Prof. Yu Diqiu (currently working in Yunnan University) won the second prize. Prof. Zhang Yiping won the third prize.

Prof. Chen Jianghua won first prize for leading and accomplishing the research project of “Functional gene study of high-protein forage alfalfa Medicago truncatula”. The project, in response to the national demand for high-protein quality forage, focuses on key scientific issues and technical bottlenecks in alfalfa research. By taking leaf development, fertility, and branching as breakthrough points, significant progress has been made in the field of alfalfa functional gene research and molecular breeding. This provides a new approach for alfalfa breeding research, achieves a substantial increase in the biomass of purple alfalfa, and offers important genetic resources for the molecular improvement of alfalfa leaf type, hybrid breeding, and branching traits.

Prof. Su Tao, principal investigator of the project “Evolution of plant diversity in Southwest China and its driving factors, won the first prize. The project used the abundant Cenozoic plant fossils in Southwest China as materials, combined with interdisciplinary evidence from paleobotany, model simulation, stratigraphic chronology, ecology, etc. It conducted systematic innovative research on the evolutionary history and causes of plant diversity in this region, achieving a series of significant scientific advancements. This has generated high academic influence in the field of Earth Sciences both domestically and internationally.

The research on the precise regulation of plant flowering induction and pollen development was led by Prof. Yu Diqiu, former head of the Plant Molecular Biology Research Group of XTBG. The project deeply explored the effects of a series of flowering and pollen development-related genes on plant flowering time and pollen development under different growth environments through signals such as gibberellin and jasmonic acid. It systematically analyzed their regulatory signaling pathways for plant flowering and pollen development, comprehensively revealing the molecular biological mechanisms for precisely regulating plant flowering induction and pollen development. This provides theoretical support for precisely controlling crop flowering time and fertility in agriculture.

Prof. Zhang Yiping is principal investigator of the project “Characteristics and mechanisms of greenhouse gas emissions from tropical forest soils”. The study found the numerical values and changing characteristics of greenhouse gas emissions from tropical forest soils, and revealed the biological and non-biological factors and mechanisms affecting these emissions.

Su Tao (L) and Chen Jianghua (R) at the awarding ceremony.