On The Plant Improvement Project Conducted By The University Of Nanking And Cornell University (1925-1931)

After the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, with the rise of tides of prospering the nation with science and education and saving the nation by engaging in industry, China accelerated its modernization process, and introducing western advanced agricultural science and management was included in this attempt. Under such historical backgrounds did Sino-US exchange and cooperation of agricultural science and technology occur. Cornell University was a world-famous university distinguished for top-notch agricultural science, while the University of Nanking, the first university that the American church built in China, was the first four-year university specialized in agricultural science in China. Both of the universities had close historical connection with each other.In 1925, as the world-famous crop breeder, Prof. H. H. Love of Cornell University was invited by Prof. J. H. Reisner, the dean of Agriculture and Forestry Department in the University of Nanking, to be the special-invited professor in the University of Nanking. Then, the University of Nanking, Cornell University and International Education Board established a five-year cooperation program of crop improvement, which is also called the Plant Improvement Project. During the period from 1925 to 1931, crop breeders of Cornell University, Prof. H. H. Love, Prof. C. H. Myers and Prof. R. G. Wiggans, were invited to China for six times totally and the Plant Improvement Project was implemented with their guidance. With the joint efforts of the three professors from Cornell University, the faculty from the University of Nanking, represented by Prof. Shen Zonghan, and members from all cooperating stations, high-yield varieties of many crops, such as wheat, soybean, rice, sorghum, barley, etc, were cultivated and the improved varieties were distributed to farmers for planting through all cooperating experimental stations. Meanwhile, the program trained a group of professional crop breeders and workers for agricultural technology extension through theoretical trainings and experimental classes in field stations.The cooperative plant improvement project between Cornell University and the University of Nanking exerted the far-reaching impact on the development of Chinese modern agriculture. Not only did this project breed many crop varieties of high yield and high quality and so boost many grain crops’ yields, but also fostered a large number of qualified special talents for crop breeding and agricultural technology extension, such as Wang Shou, Dai Songen, Ma Yuhua, etc. Moreover, during this program, the University of Nanking introduced the idea and model of closely combining American agricultural research, education and extension at the earliest, which contributed to make the trinity of "integration of agriculture production, scientific research and education" with Chinese characteristics and then set a good example for the later development in not only the career of agricultural science and education but also the agricultural industry. The great achievements of the cooperative plant improvement project between Cornell University and the University of Nanking gained high attention from Nationalist Government and stimulated government investment in the field of crop breeding greatly. This program also laid a solid foundation for the subsequent cooperation such as the Sino-US agricultural technical cooperation group, the cooperation between the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and International Harvester Company, etc.The cooperative plant improvement project between Cornell University and the University of Nanking also had the practical significance for the management and exchange of modern agricultural science and technology. Firstly, the school-running model of the trinity of "integration of agriculture production, scientific research and education" coincided with the higher education model of "industry-university-research cooperation" that Chinese government vigorously advocated in recent years, which means this program was instructive and meaningful to the innovation and development of higher agricultural education in China. Secondly, in terms of international scientific cooperation and management, this project successfully figured out a win-win model of technical assistance cooperation, the operating mechanism and management system of which are providing a reference to today’s international cooperation in agricultural science and technology.In short, as the first systematic, well-organized and large-scale cooperative project in agricultural science and technology between the United States and China, the cooperative plant improvement project has achieved a great success, starting a new age of Sino-US cooperation in modern agricultural science and technology, establishing an example of the trinity of "integration of agriculture production, scientific research and education", and promoting the sustainable development of the agricultural education and the work of science and technology in China.