Profile

Engaged in Eucommia breeding for 35 years; bred 33 improved varieties that underpin 90% of China's improved Eucommia nursery stock.

Story

Du Lanying is an associate research professor at the Research Institute of Non-timber Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry. She graduated in economic forestry from Central South University of Forestry and Technology in 1993 and earned a master's degree in agricultural extension (forest cultivation) from Henan Agricultural University in 2008. She has worked for 35 years on Eucommia breeding, high-efficiency cultivation and high-value utilization technologies, and is one of the core breeders of the 'Huazhong' series of improved Eucommia varieties.

She achieved key breakthroughs in clonal rapid propagation of Eucommia: the graft survival rate of improved varieties exceeds 96% at scale, supporting more than 90% of the national supply of improved Eucommia nursery stock; and she overcame the difficulty of rooting softwood cuttings from mature improved-variety trees, raising survival from 53% to 91.7%. Her innovative male-flower orchard cultivation model yields 300-400 kg of male flowers per mu. She has also developed patented technologies for Eucommia male-flower tea beverages, alpha-linolenic acid soft capsules and Eucommia functional feed, providing full-chain scientific support for the Eucommia industry.

Milestones

• In 2013-2014, announced improved Eucommia varieties including 'Huazhong 3', 'Huazhong 4' and 'Huazhong 5' in Scientia Silvae Sinicae as first author or principal breeder
• In 2024, published research on the aroma of steam-exploded Eucommia leaf tea in Food Science (as corresponding author)
• Won one first prize and four second/third prizes of ministerial and provincial science and technology progress awards

Key Contributions

• Bred 33 improved Eucommia varieties for fruit-use, male-flower, leaf-use and national reserve forest purposes, including 18 nationally certified, with 11 plant variety rights
• Achieved a graft survival rate above 96% in large-scale propagation of improved Eucommia varieties, supporting over 90% of the national supply of improved Eucommia nursery stock
• Broke through the difficulty of softwood cutting propagation from mature improved-variety trees, raising cutting survival from 53% to 91.7%
• Pioneered a male-flower orchard cultivation model yielding 300-400 kg of male flowers per mu, 5-10 times that of existing Eucommia
• Obtained more than 20 national invention patents, published over 50 papers and 6 monographs, and participated in formulating or revising 10 national and industry standards for Eucommia