China’s first “Research Center for Monitoring and Early Warning of Crop Diseases, Pests, and Weeds” has been established at Northwest A&F University.

On December 14, the “Research Center for Monitoring and Early Warning of Crop Diseases, Pests, and Weeds” was officially established at the College of Plant Protection of Northwest A&F University. This marks the first institution in China—among universities and research institutes—to focus specifically on the monitoring and early warning of crop diseases, pests, and weeds.

Monitoring and early warning of crop diseases, pests, and weeds is one of the core tasks of plant protection. For a long time, this critical work has relied primarily on manual efforts, which are not only labor-intensive but also suffer from limited timeliness and accuracy in forecasting. In recent years, driven by rapid advances in automated meteorological data collection, molecular quantitative detection of harmful organisms, the Internet of Things, sensor technologies, and electronic communication systems, the level of informationization and intelligence in the detection and early warning of crop diseases, pests, and weeds has improved significantly.

After more than 30 years of accumulation and innovation, the College of Plant Protection at Northwest A&F University has emerged as a national leader in the research and development of intelligent monitoring and early‑warning systems. Its team of experts pioneered China’s first remote early‑warning system for wheat stripe rust, spearheaded the formulation of a national standard for survey and reporting protocols for this disease, and established and refined neural‑network‑based self‑learning prediction models for pests, diseases, and weeds. In December 2012, Professor Hu Xiaoping’s team developed China’s first automated monitoring and forecasting device for Fusarium head blight—often referred to as “the cancer of wheat”—and, leveraging IoT and cloud‑computing technologies, created an automated monitoring and early‑warning system and associated equipment for this pathogen. This smart device is now in its sixth generation and has been commercialized, with widespread adoption across 16 provinces in key production areas. Its advanced predictive capabilities, scientific rigor, and high accuracy have earned high praise from industry experts and frontline agricultural technicians.

According to reports, the newly established center will focus on serving agricultural production by investigating and analyzing the patterns underlying major crop diseases, pests, and weed infestations, developing predictive models, and scientifically forecasting the severity of these threats to guide control measures. At the same time, in collaboration with the National Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center and relevant enterprises, the center will swiftly translate research findings into practical applications. Currently, the center has set up more than 200 permanent observation and experimental sites nationwide, with tens of thousands of data points being fed into its database every day.

Professor Hu Xiaoping, director of the center, told reporters that the center serves as an open research platform, leveraging the resources of Northwest A&F University to conduct collaborative research and tackle key challenges both domestically and internationally. At present, in addition to the university’s own team, the center brings together plant protection expert groups from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China Agricultural University, Anhui Agricultural University, as well as from universities and research institutions in the United States and the United Kingdom. Their work spans monitoring and early‑warning studies on wheat scab, wheat stripe rust, wheat aphids, weed management, wheat powdery mildew, corn rust, rice blast, and vegetable leaf diseases, among others.

“A single, precise forecast can significantly reduce the amount of pesticide used,” said Academician Kang Zhensheng, a plant pathologist, expressing high hopes for research on monitoring and early warning of crop diseases, pests, and weeds. At the high‑level academic forum on crop disease, pest, and weed monitoring and early warning—held concurrently with the unveiling ceremony—Academician Kang Zhensheng engaged in discussions and exchanges with plant protection experts from the National Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center, China Agricultural University, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and other institutions, charting a new course to elevate China’s efforts in this field to an even higher level.

Source: China Agricultural Network