Li Zhensheng (geneticist)


Li Zhensheng is a Chinese geneticist who specializes in the genetics of wheat. He is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and was awarded the Highest Science and Technology Award in 2006.

Biography

Mr. Li was born in Zibo, Shandong. In 1951, he graduated from Shandong Agricultural University and worked in Yangling for over 30 years.
In an interview, he said that three scientists influenced him very much, they are Hua Luogeng, Qian Sanqiang and Ai Siqi.

Work

In Li's scientific career, he has made three notable contributions to wheat genetics and wide-hybridization between common wheat and Thinopyrum ponticum. The wheat cultivars have greatly enhanced productivity of wheat. Among them, Xiaoyan 6 has been widely grown in China. This has enabled him to propose a creative methodology for producing wheat substitution lines through nullisomic backcrossing. This kind of breeding needs less natural resources, and it protects the environment which is good for the sustainable development in Chinese agriculture.

Awards and honors