Profile

Participated in breeding multiple 'Huazhong' varieties; works on Eucommia hybrid F1 populations and molecular breeding.

Story

Qing Jun, PhD, was a member of the Eucommia team at the Research Institute of Non-timber Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, and now teaches at the College of Forestry, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University. He is a young and middle-aged scholar bridging the 'Huazhong' improved-variety breeding system with research on Eucommia introduction in the cold and arid regions of northern China. In his collaborative hybrid breeding research, 109 hybrid F1 progeny of 'Huazhong 8' and 'Huazhong 12' were analyzed for three consecutive years for variation in leaf phenotype and active components, and elite individuals with year-to-year stable leaf phenotypes were selected, providing a basis for early selection in Eucommia hybrid breeding.

After joining Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, he collaborated with Professor Bai Yu'e's team and, supported by a National Natural Science Foundation of China project, mined genes related to chlorogenic acid biosynthesis in Eucommia leaves. Using transcriptome sequencing, he identified nine PAL and HCT genes associated with chlorogenic acid synthesis and, using 10-year-old Eucommia germplasm resources in Baotou, revealed the accumulation patterns of active components during leaf development, providing a molecular basis for the northward cultivation of Eucommia and the quality evaluation of leaf-use plantations.

Milestones

• In 2025, published as corresponding author in the Journal of Central South University of Forestry and Technology an analysis of the transcriptome and chlorogenic acid-related genes of Eucommia leaves at different developmental stages
• Established a Eucommia germplasm resource trial site in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, advancing research on the introduction and domestication of Eucommia in northern China
• Previously worked long-term on Eucommia breeding at the Eucommia Engineering Technology Research Center of the State Forestry Administration, Research Institute of Non-timber Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry (Zhengzhou)

Key Contributions

• Participated as a breeder in developing improved Eucommia varieties and new cultivars including 'Huazhong 16', 'Huazhong 20', 'Huazhong 21' and 'Huazhong 26'
• Analyzed genetic variation of 17 leaf phenotypic traits in 109 hybrid F1 progeny of 'Huazhong 8' x 'Huazhong 12', selecting 29 individuals with year-to-year stability
• Leads a National Natural Science Foundation of China project (32360402) on the transcriptome of chlorogenic acid biosynthesis in Eucommia leaves
• Participated in formulating the forestry industry standard LY/T 3005.1-2018 'Eucommia ulmoides - Technical regulations for improved variety breeding'