In a laboratory in Sanya Nanfan Research Institute of Hainan University (HNU), no sound is heard but the hum of scientific instruments intermingling with the clack of keyboards. An experiment is going on, attempting to explore into the genetic code of sweet potato. He Peixin, a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Seed Science and Engineering at HNU’s Yazhou Residential College, is conducting protein alignment using the BLAST (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool), in an effort to trace the evolutionary trajectories of species and genes by analyzing similarities of genetic sequence. His fellow classmate Hu Zhengyu, however, is working at the same time in the designated fields, recording the growth of sweet potatoes under different planting conditions.
Since their sophomore year, He Peixin and Hu Zhengyu have joined the research team of tropical crop comparative genomics and systems biology at the Collaborative Innovation Center for Seed Breeding and Tropical High-Efficiency Agriculture, receiving systematic interdisciplinary education in genomics and bioinformatics. This has to be attributed to HNU’s vigorous implementation of the three major reform measures: comprehensive credit system, the establishment of collaborative innovation center and the residential college system. These reform measures are designed to establish diverse research platforms and involve undergraduate students in research projects with different teams. Benefiting from these measures, these two undergraduate students have mastered cutting-edge technologies such as third-generation sequencing and comparative genomics, gradually developing their own abilities to independently carry out research projects.
He Peixin told the media that “Humans have genes. So do the plants. The purpose of our research is to precisely locate key genes that can increase plant production, particularly the gene (nitrogen) that enable sweet potato to grow larger and faster.” They are well aware that sweet potato, an important food crop in Hainan, holds extremely high economic value. And Hainan Province has attached great importance to the development of the sweet potato industry, trying to establish its industrial chain and foster it as a distinct and competitive industry. Under the guidance of Si Chengcheng, an associate professor and advisor of the research team, He Peixin and Hu Zhengyu focus on the research of sweet potato, embarking on a journey to explore technologies for a high-yield and high-quality production of this crop.
Their scientific research journey has met with many challenges. In face of massive transcriptional data and complex bioinformatics analysis, they found it difficult to turn to others for solutions. Instead, they adopted a “self-driven learning approach”, gradually going beyond the knowledge boundary and proficiently applying bioinformatics for genomic analysis by extensively reviewing cutting-edge literature and consulting their fellow teammates. They still remember how excited they were when they for the first time accessed to the sophisticated instruments like centrifuges, PCR machines, and spectrophotometers. They are so curious about the unknown world, which drives them to move forward in their exploration journey.
They did various tests in the designated fields with different treatment groups for varying planting densities and nitrogen levels, and took samples at critical growth stages of sweet potato. Combining bioinformatics analysis with molecular biology experiments, they conducted transcriptome sequencing on the samples, obtaining a large amount of data. They finally came to research results from different dimensions, which confirmed that invertase gene plays a role in regulating the formation of sweet potato tuber and is subject to the influence from nitrogen levels and planting density, providing a theoretical basis for the research and development of technologies for cultivating high-yield sweet potato. The findings were published in the internationally-known journal BMC Plant Biology. Based on this theory, the team has developed a technology that reduces nitrogen usage while enhancing its effectiveness. The team currently is applying this technology, in collaboration with Changjiang Guangling Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd., to the planting of sweet potato in over 100 mu (approximately 6.67 hectares) of production demonstrations fields in Changjiang Li Autonomous County, where production per mu increases by about 300 jin (approximately 150 kilograms) and income increase by about 1,000 yuan per mu.
The publication of their research findings was long and winding: They constantly modified and polished their paper in the process of writing and made over 20 revisions before the paper was published. They well realized that scientific research journey is surely a painstaking process, and “persistence” is of paramount importance, especially in research of agriculture. They observed the growth of crops countless times in the sun-baked sweet potato fields, and continued to do experiments in the laboratory despite repeated failures.
Si Chengcheng commented that “They remain persistent and hardworking in their research, overcoming the tough conditions, boredom and loneliness in their daily lives.”
He Peixin and Hu Zhengyu are now delving deeper into the research of species evolution, hoping to find new genetic structures in sweet potato so as to boost a higher yield. In the laboratories and fields of the Sanya Nanfan Institute, seeds break through the soil to grow, just as young agronomists tirelessly advance. They are marching forward in their journey in research with the integration of their ideals with practice.
He Peixin noted that “Seeds are the ‘chips’ of agriculture, and I am willing to devote myself to the seed industry. I really appreciate HNU’s ‘three major reform measures’, which enable us to deeply participate in research projects during our undergraduate years, and lay a solid foundation for our future development.”
Translated by Ma Fengmin
Proofread by Chen Chuanxian
