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Fruit Research, Main Achievements and Prospects:

I. Germplasm

II. Newly developed fruits

1. Kiwi fruit (Actinidia)
Actinidea chinensis is native to China. It is a newly developed precious fruit. There are 52 genus in China. Research on Actinidia Chinensis has been conducted and A. Arguta (Sieb.&Zucc.) Planch., A. Kolomikta (Rupr. et Maxim.) Maxim., A. Melanandra French etc. have been listed as research programs.

2. Hawthom, Grataegus Pinnatifida Bge
Hawthom originated from China has rich mineral nutrition, VC and fruit acid which occupies an important part in medicine and food.

3. Rosa roxburghii Tratt
It is distributed in Guizhou,Yunnan, Sichuan etc. which contains very rich VC and VP (841.63541.1 mg%g).

III. Breeding

IV. Stocks

V. Cultural Practice

Chemical flower and fruit thining was adopted instead of traditional method. Growth regulator was also applied on fruit trees. For instance Gibberellin treated seedless grape, the fruit became bigger and the weight increased for 1-4 times. Ethylene spraying on flat peach in autumn season prolonged the flowering period for 3-4 days or even 7-11 days to reduce late frost damage.

Herbicides application experiments were conducted in the orchard

VI. Storage

Along with the development of fruit production, storage is becoming important. Rich experiences in storage has been accumulated by the farmers, such as the cave in Yellow Plateau in Northwest and ditch in Yantal district, Shandong Province, traditional storage in north and central citrus growing areas. Pomologists improved the structure and ventilation of different storage facilities. The controlled atmosphere and preservatives were also used to improve storage effect.

Growth regulators was applied in fruit storage to prolong the storage. 10-20ppm gibberellin was sprayed 15-30 days before the citrus fruit picking, which delayed the peel structure decaying, dispearing of chlorophyll, carroten like accumulation and the peel softening, indirectly control decaying, so that the storage life could be prolonged.
 

VlI. Tissue Culture

Tissue culture was an up-and coming youngster in fruit research. Although it started late, it progressed rapidly. The Chinese flowering crabapple, peach, pear, lichi, loquat, banana, citrus etc. had been multiplied by meristem culture. The virus free citrus stocks and seedlings were obtained after indicator plant identification.

VIll. Others

Research on physiological and biochemical index of citrus cold tolerance indicated that cold tolerance is related to the bound water and free water in the stem, hydrogen peroxidase, sugar content, cell membrane transparency. The research on apple and pear indicated that the electric conductivity and electric resistance value in the annual twig were the desirable index for characterization of cold tolerance.

Cytology research were initiated. Meiosis of microspore, mother cell and the morphological index in 62 varieties and types of 6 families, 14 species and 35 races had been identified.

IX. Prospect

In the past 35 years, scientific achievements had been obtained. However, the research works was conducted in unbalanced way, for instance very little research work on cultural practices was undertaken and nothing was done in irrigation, water saving and water retaining. Herbicides and growth regulators were not used extensively

Thirty-Five Years of Research on Vegetable Crops

Main Achievements

Vegetables is the main non-staple food necessary to people's daily life. After the foundation of People's Republic of China, the Communist Party and the Government pay much attention on vegetable production , make up and implement a series of policies and measures for the development of vegetable production. Some vegetable production centres have been built in the rural areas of some large or middle-sized cities. The total vegetable production area covers an area of more than 50 million mu, which is basically able to provide 0.5 Kg fresh vegetable everyday per head in case of the continuous increase of commercial vegetable consuming population.

Before the foundation of the People's Republic of China, the study on vegetable science and technology was very weak and undertaken only by a few technicians tight budget and limited facilities. Along with the production development after the foundation of the People's Republic of China, vegetable research institutes (Departments) were set up in most of the provinces, cities autonomous regions and some large cities. There have been eight institutes, 16 research departments in provincial level, and 16 institutes, 50 departments (groups) in county level. Besides, the Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, a professional national vegetable specialized institute was founded. Vegetable specially was set up in most of agricultural colleges and universities, where students specialized in vegetable research were trained. Working staff on vegetable study was increasing year by year, and the research condition has also been improving. Cooperating with farmers, vegetable technicians have gained great achievement and made great contribution to the vegetable production and technology in the past 3 5 years.

I. Germplasm Resources

With a long history of agricultural industry, China processes rich germplasm resources and is the originating Centre or second originating center for many vegetables. After the foundation of the People's Republic of China, under the leadership of the central government, with the support of the government and relevant units, some investigation and sorting out on local varieties were conducted in China, and "Chinese Improved Vegetable Varieties" was written and published so that some improved local varieties could be extended and put into practice. For instance, Hongsuiyan Cowpea, Wuyueman rape, Beijing teaselgourd, Ningyang teaselgourd, Changchunmici cucumbers, etc., Jinzaosheng cabbage, Beijing xiaobaikou, xiaoqingkou, Jinan xiaogen, Fushanbaotou Chinese cabbage, Xinlimei, Yejihong, Xiangyabai, Weiqing turnips, Luoyang goutoujin, Hanzhongdongjiu, Tianjin qingmiao Chinese Chives and basellaceac, balsam pear and towel gourd etc. There can be endlessly listed.

After the 3 rd National Vegetable Scientific Research Cooperation Conference held in 1979, study on vegetable gerrnplasm resource resumed to conduct very quickly. More than 16 thousands local germplasm accessions were collected and sorted out, and some materials on the brink of ruin were saved. Through the investigation in broader area such as Yunnan, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and Tibet etc., many rare vegetables were discovered. For instance, Bana cucumber, Black seed pumpkin, red eggplant, Kohlrabi etc. All these achievement has laid a firm foundation for vegetable germplasm resource study in China. Besides, some classification study was conducted to Chinese cabbage, south collard, turnip, mustard and tuber crops. Some vegetables or vegetables with local characteristics enjoying good reputation have been observed and identified on their biological characteristics and economical characters. For instance, Taihe Chinese toon, Taihu water shield, Zhangqun green onion, Fuling mustard, Yangzhou Chinese artichoke, Huainan big-root mustard etc

II. Variety Introduction

In order to fully make use of the enormous improved vegetable varieties materials in the whole world, China conducted broad vegetable variety material exchange with overseas. after the introduction, experiments and selection, many varieties were applied to vegetable production. For instance, cauliflower of Swaziland Snowball, Dutch Snowball, Yerfu, French Cauliflower, pea of Bogairia, snoopy, Jiekebai Kohlrabi, sweet pepper of Zaofeng, Qieman, Shijieyi, Tomato of Pink Sweet Flesh, Beijing 10, Beijing Early Red, Teloupike, Waerte, Mansi, Qianglimishou, luochengl, Keqikemeite etc. Cabbage of early maturity of Yellow Seedling, Beijing, French and English Kidney beans.

Seed exchange also leads to the introduction of some improved breeding materials. For instance, original tomato materials containing Tm. Tm2 Tm2 nv and Tm2 a genes and with TMV resistance, and cucumber gynoecius lines. Along with some wild tomato materials, these were applied to Chinese vegetable breeding, and some improved varieties were released from it. At the same time, China also provided a great amount of improved varieties to overseas for exchange, which became valuable materials to vegetable breeding in many countries and played an important role in it.

III. Breeding

With the development of vegetable science and technology study, a great deal of new improved varieties were released from traditional breeding, make use of hybridization vigor and manual induction etc., and the significance of improved varieties in vegetable production was fully displayed.
 
1. Traditional Breeding

Hybrid breeding was conducted in large scale by individual scientific research institutes in the whole country aiming at existing problems on local vegetable production and varieties. Many varieties with different good characteristics were selected and released. Among them, some varieties were extended for a large area, and are still applied to production. These @arieties include tomatoes, for example, Zaofen 2, Dahuang 1, Dafen 1, Nongda 23, Lufen, Yangzhouhou, Yangzhou 24, Luohong, Yuanhong, Qiangfeng, Lichun, Yuenong2 etc. Green beans for example "Zhijiang 28-2", and Sweet Pepper for example Tongfenghao etc.

2. Utilization of Hybrid Vigor

Vegetable hybrid FI possesses characters of uniformed characters, high yield or early maturity, and being able to fully display the parents' valuable characteristics.

Selection and breeding for FI hybrid started comparatively late in China. Since 1960s, a few units have started studying the hybrid seed production technology, and some combination were selected and bred. Short after that, some cabbage and Chinese Cabbage selfincompatibility lines, male sterile AB lines, turnip male sterile lines, cucumber gynaecomorph, tomato and pepper sterilitas, incompatibility lines were bred and released. Besides, emasculation by chemicals and technology of artificial hybrid seed production were studied. These works created favorable conditions for the production of FI hybrid in large scale in China, for the reduction of seed production costs, and for the improvement of seed quality, and filled in gaps in this aspect. A large amount of improved FI hybrids with good quality were successfully selected and bred by making use of the above-mentioned selected lines, for instance, cabbage Jingfeng 1, Baochun, Qingfeng, Yuanchun, Wanfeng, Xiaguang, Xinpingtou, Chunqiudafeng, Jinzao2 etc, Chinese Cabbage hybrid Shuangqing 156, Qinghuai 169, Beijing 106, Beijing 100, Xiaoza 8, Shangdong 4, Qingzaizhongfeng, Qingza 4, Liushizao, Jiza etc., cucumber hybrid Changqing, Xlaqing, Jlngxu, Longzahuang, Zhongnong I 101 etc., dwarf cabbage hybrid, dwarf red tomato Puhong, Zhehong, Xianghong, Yuhong, Jiali etc., sweet pepper Shuangfeng, Tianza, snake eggplant etc. According to the incomplete statistics, among 20 kinds of vegetables, more than 400 improved Fl hybrid vegetable varieties have been bred and released, and quickly been extended and applied to practical production. The total extension area covers an area of three million mu.

3. Breeding for Disease Resistance

Along with the continuous cropping of vegetable production bases and some changes in ecological condition, some vegetable diseases began to be brought into being. Aiming at solving these problems, some institutes conducted and developed crop disease resistance breeding, and achieved some preliminary results. For instance, cucumber Jinyan 2-7, are of high resistance to downy mildew and powdery mildew and tomato varieties of concurrent resistance to blight, Sukang 1-3, Qianghui and Xianfeng are resistant to TMV, some Shanghai fresh vegetable varieties with disease resistance and cucumber Xinong 58 etc.

4. Other Means of Breeding

Some institutes developed vegetable polyploid breeding and released polyploid eggplants, sweet melons, turnips, cucumbers and tomatoes etc. Cabbage No.9 and turnip Qingfu 1, Qingfu 2 were released by utilizing radiation breeding method.

According to statistics, among 23 major vegetables all over China, more than 1000 new varieties, including some varieties without being popularization, excluding water melons and sweet melons, were released through introduction, selection, breeding, utilization of hybrid vigor and artificial mutation.

Major vegetable varieties in China were renewed for two to three times. The seed multiplication of improved varieties is strengthened. The country wide regional experiments for new varieties of Chinese Cabbage, tomato, cabbage and cucumbers are also started.

IV. Cultivation

In consequence of the long vegetable cultivation history of China, some cultivation technology with Chinese characteristics have been formulated from the long period of production practice. The technology was broadly extended and applied in practical production after it was carefully investigated and summarized. For instance, high yield technology for Chinese cabbage, tomato, Benincada hispidas (wax gourd), cucumber, garlic and cowpeas etc., cultivation technology for vegetable early maturity and cultivation technology for protected fields etc. In the last decade, some important problems have been concentrated and studied under the unitary cooperation plan, and valuable results were achieved.

1. PlastiC Tunnel Cultivation

A set of cultivation management technology for the increase of tunnel yield and economic effect has been studied and achieved. fruit vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers and eggplants and some vegetables with cold tolerance can be brought into market 20 days to two months earlier, which ease the vegetable supply shortage situation in April in North China, and it also renewed the top yield record with 20 tons per mu for cucumber and 12.5 tons per mu for tomatoes. tunnel production developed so quickly that some south areas alsoadopted this technology in recent years, and the adoption area has reached 100,000 mu with larger range of utilization.

2. Mulching Technology

After the mulching technology was introduced from Japan in 1978, some research work has been started on studying and manufacturing mulch film and mulch-laying machine. the result proved that after the covering in early spring, vegetables could grow mature I 0 to 20 days early with 20% - 100% yield increasing. Besides, it also possesses advantages as saving water, saving labor, saving fertilizer, preventing waterlogging, tolerance to coldness, and avoiding alkali. So far, there has been more than 30 kinds of mulching vegetables whose planting area has reached more than 720, 000 mu.

3. Industrial Seedling Growth Technology

The industrial seedling growth coordination plan was drafted in 1979 in the third National Vegetable Scientific and Research Coordination meeting, and it was decided to study and reform the seedling growth technology. The five year experimental outlets indicated that the best way is to lay underground heating lines in plastic tunnels or glasshouses to heat the soul so that to control the soil temperature 30 centigrade in daytime and 25 centigrade at night in early period, and 25 centigrade in daytime 18 centigrade at night in late period, by which means, seedling period could be shortened one third. This technology was demonstrated and extended in more than ten provinces and municipalities.

V. Tissue Culture

Tissue culture research made great progress in the last ten years. Haploid plants have been successfully produced from the culture of isolated anther and their progeny have been obtained. The list includes the following genera: eggplant, tomato, Chinese Cabbage, hot pepper and sweet pepper. +++The anther cultured plants of eggplant were also grown from the embryoid successfully in China for the first time. Anther cultured plants were also induced from the nutritional organ explants, the young sprouts of garlic, potato stem tips, Lilly scale, flower tips of daylily, the young embryos of Chinese cabbage, cabbage, hot pepper and tomato and triploid watermelon culture+++. This is of great significance to the improvement of breeding efficiency, speeding up seed multiplication, developing virus-free clone regeneration, conserving valuable materials and overcoming the sterility of hybrid. Besides, protoplasm culture of cucumber, tomato and carrot also make some progress. Remarkable evaluation for the above-mentioned achievements are granted by the international communities.

VI. Storage for Retaining Freshness

Research on storage for retaining freshness also made some progress in recent years. Keeping in cold storage of zero centigrade, spinach, lettuces, cauliflower's covered with plastic bags can be kept for one to three months. Fast frozen storage for spinach, Chinese cabbages, kidney beans, hot peppers, wild rice stems, cucumbers, celery, mushrooms, cauliflower, heart of cabbages and tomatoes can be industrially produced. The after-ripening of tomatoes, sweet peppers and hot peppers and young garlic shoots could be checked by treating them with gamma -ray. Bolting and taking adventitious roots of Chinese cabbages, turnips and carrots could be checked with some treatment to kidney beans during its storage. After ripening and turning red of tomatoes and sweet peppers could be checked by storing with air conditioning. Sprouting of onion, potatoes and garlic could be checked by spraying maleic hydrazide. Besides, it was also studied that cucumbers would suffer some damage caused by low temperature, and after the cold damage, the permeability of cell membrane is aggrandized. This study research provided basis for improving vegetable storage conditions.

VIl. Plant Protection

On the basis of prior research work of the rules of diseases and pest damage and its protection, some study and identification of some toxins and etiology, for example tobacco mosaic virus for tomatoes, hot peppers and eggplants, cucumber mosaic virus, Chinese cabbage and tumip mosaic virus, cucumber blight, and black rot for Chinese cabbage etc., and their causative conditions. In order to idcntify the disease resistance characteristics of vegetable varieties, some new aerological methods such as Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, agar double diffusion technique, latex agglutination test, osmophoresis technique etc. and some blight identification methods such as inoculating embryonic foot with suspension were utilized to speed up the identification process and improve its accurate. Comprehensive prevention and control of plant diseases and elimination of pests have achieved remarkable results. Downy mildew and blight in tunnels were effectively prevented and controlled by controlling the ecological conditions in tunnels, grafting and utilizing chemicals. The glasshouse white fly was prevented and controlled by comprehensive measures including encarsia Formosa, physical and chemical methods. Cabbage caterpillars and diamondback moth could be controlled by utilizing particle viruses. These techniques have been extended and applied in practical production. It also achieved remarkable results on preventing tobacco mosaic virus by utilizing weak lines of plant viruses, on keeping aphids away by using silver gray covers which reflects light, and on reducing virus damage, and on proper selection and utilization of herbicide. 

VIll. Other Achievements

Deep study on genetic performance and genetic regulations of the important economic characteristics of some major vegetables such as Chinese cabbage, turnips, cabbages and tomatoes were studied and developed. Peroxidase isodynamic enzyme analysis was utilized in tomato and Chinese cabbage F I hybrid. The sterile lines of Chinese cabbage and cabbage with sterile cytoplasm of mustard, tumip, and rutabaga were obtained by hybridization transformation. It possesses stable sterility and materials of different economic characteristics types are available. This achievement lays foundation for utilizing Chinese cabbage and cabbage male sterile lines to produce F I hybrids.

Conceming vegetable cytological research, the observation and analysis to the caryotype and Giemsa Belt type of daylily started and developed. Observation to meiosis of chromosomes of Hanzhongdongjiu has proved that it is natural tetraploid. These achievements provided some valuable reference for the investigation and utilization of resources, and for the vegetable breeding.

The research result on the control effect of hormone to gender expression of cucumber and gourd indicates that ethrel phosphoric acid can increase the amount of female flower, but it requires a period of time. Gibberellin can increase the amount of male flowers, and it also affects the activity of peroxidase on meristem tissue.

Research on the growth, development and organ formation of the heart of cabbages, on the growing circulation of white gourd and tomato, as well as on the organ formation of garlic would provide scientific basis on outside expression and inside skeleton for making up reasonable cultivation technology.

IX. Conclusion

It can be proved from the incomplete information mentioned above that Chinese vegetable scientists and researchers have done a great deal of work in the past 35 years. However, it should also be aware that some problems still exist. For instance, the vegetable production supply is not balanced enough, some vegetables do not yield highly enough, the quality of vegetables still leaves much to be desired, the prevention and control of diseases and pests is not fully satisfactory, variety with disease resistance, high yield and good quality is still short in need, cultivation technology for protected field, research on germplasm resources, research on storage and processing is still waiting to be strengthened. Vegetable scientists will make further contributions to meet people's daily increasing demand in people's daily life.

Main Achievements in Ornamental Plants:

35 Years Since the Founding of the People's Republic of China.

Ornamental horticulture is to study the classification, growth habit, propagation, culture, application, breeding, production, management, pot gardening, flower garden, park, landscape planning and design, management of flowers, woody plants, turf-grass, gross layers etc. Before 1949, landscape construction was insignificant to mention and the scientific achievements was scarcely made. However, since the founding of the People's Republic of China, research on traditional famous flowers (plum flower, tree-peony camellia, azalea, sweet osmanthus, orchid, chrysanthemum, peony, narcissus and lotus flower) was carried out. The native place, cultural history, classification, introduction and domestication of plum flower were systematically explored. A system of classification of Chinese Plum cultivars was established. The China Plum Flower Research Center was established at Wuhan, Hubei, and other two subcenters were also established one at Wuxi, Jiangsu and another one at Chengdu, Sichuan. The research on germplasm resources, wide crossing classification, instruction and domestication etc. were explored. A lot of research work were conducted in tree-peony such as tree-peony taxonomy, books entitle " Tree-peony and Peony Flower Shape Classification" 1981, " Caozhou Tree-peony" 1959, " Heze Tree-peony" 1980 etc. Were published one after another. In recent years, the exploration of wide crossing, tissue culture, cytology of treepeony in Luoyang, Heze and Beijing was conducted.

The achievements in camellia gave the presentation of cultivar sortment of camellia reticulate and the brief history, growth habit, culture and cultivar description and classification of Japanese Camellia. Some books and papers entitled " Pictorial Handbook of Yunnan Camellia Reticulata", " Yunnan Camellia Reticulata", " Camellia", " Camellia and Its Flora Research" etc. were published. The classification system of rose bay was firstly raised our by the Chinese Scientists and 297 varieties native to China were characterized. Research in chrysanthemum included chrysanthemum origin, breeding, cytology research, tissue culture. Research on lotus flower classification, hybrid breeding (including wide crossing, multiploid breeding, chromosome variation etc.), orchard germplasm resources classification, tissue culture cytology and hybrid breeding were initiated. Research on peony, narcissus, sweat osmanthus etc. was undertaken.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, florists paid much attention to the germplasm resources of ornamental plants. Apart from the collection, sortment and classification of traditional famous flowers cultivars, some achievements was obtained in the collection and introduction of lily, orange daylily, common dahlia, common crapemyrtle, willowleaf spirae, old-fashioned weigela, mockorange etc. The wild ornamental plants germplasm resources exploration and introduction were carried out in Qinling Mountain (Shaanxi and Gansu), Tianmu Mountain (Zhejiang), Jigong Mountain (Henan), Baihua Mountain (Beijing), Changbai Mountain (Jilin), Shennongjia (Hubei), Dinghushan (Guangdong), Lushan Mountain (Jiangxi), Huangshan (Anhui), Yunnan etc.

The woody plants investigation and planning started after liberation and continued in the following years.

Accomplishments in physiology and culture, propagation, pot gardening was achieved, such as seed viability, germination physiology, fast seedling raising of woody plants, experiment in new rose stock, sexual propagation of sago, pot gardening etc.

Omamental plants breeding, progress was made in breeding of plum flower, orchid, chrysanthemum, lotus flowers and others such as hybrid lily, multiploid orange daylily, rose, setose asparagus, crocus, Begonia semperflorens Link et Otto, Pawlonia elongata, chivia nobilis etc. In radiation breeding, India canna, common snapdragon, London plane-tree were treated with 60 Co-r and some of the treated materials were mutated.