Idea: Based on industry issues, clear research positioning

  Banana is an important economic crop in the world and one of the five major fruits in my country. In order to facilitate the transportation of banana fruits from the place of production to the place of sale, green bananas with 70% to 80% fullness are generally harvested in commercial production. After the postharvest ripening process, they reach the edible state. Commodity is particularly important. However, as a typical respiration type fruit, once the banana matures, the fruit quickly softens and matures, and the shelf life is extremely short, which severely restricts the storage and transportation of bananas. At the same time, bananas are afraid of cold and heat, the green peels are ripe at high temperatures, and chilling damage occurs at low temperatures. The problems that need to be solved in the banana industry have always been Lu Wangjin (the second-level professor of the Department of Postharvest Science and Technology of the College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University) and Postharvest Bananas. Quality Biology research team members are concerned about the research goals.

Professor Lu Wangjin (right) and his graduate students (left) went to the banana production base

  Only by always paying attention to industrial issues, can we broaden the depth and innovation of basic research and theoretical research. It is precisely because of this obsession that Mr. Li Peiwen and Professor Chen Weixin continue to select topics from industry, scientific research and service industry. Philosophy, Lu Wangjin has been carrying out a series of researches based on my country's banana industry since he returned to China from the post-doctorate of Okayama University in Japan. When asked why he wanted to study bananas, Lu Wangjin smiled and said, 'Bite a bite of Jiao'e and laugh, eat the fruit in the stomach and chew the fruit.' It is the soft, waxy and sweet taste and deliciousness of bananas. If this kind of deliciousness It would be a pity that more people cannot taste it!

Breaking the cocoon: Technology helps R&D to resolve the predicament of banana storage and transportation

  Bananas are a kind of transitional fruit. Compared with other fruits, the quality of bananas has a great relationship with its post-harvest processing technology, preservation and transportation. It can be said that “to a certain extent, post-harvest processing directly determines the quality of bananas.” Therefore, the Lu Wangjin team A lot of work has been done in the research and development of banana fruit preservation and logistics technology. After continuous exploration, Lu Wangjin led the team members to deal with the actual situation of non-standard banana postharvest processing, rough technology, time-consuming and labor-consuming, and low-grade goods. Professor Chen Weixin and Professor Yang Zhou's team of National Banana System Orchard Production Mechanization have jointly developed a lightweight equipment for banana post-harvest processing. The post-harvest processing production line is light, practical, flexible, easy to assemble, disassemble and move. It can not only significantly improve the preservation effect and the appearance and grade of the product, but also improve the quality and efficiency, and effectively solve the fusarium crown rot (browning and rot of banana cuts) and anthracnose Such as post-harvest decay problems, it can also significantly improve the effect of cleaning banana fruit milk and decontamination after the bananas are combed, and effectively prevent crown rot (commonly known as rotten handle), water rotten and quality caused by high humidity in the sealed bag. Deterioration and other issues. At the same time, it also improves the efficiency of post-harvest processing, saves labor, and significantly reduces mechanical damage after bananas are harvested. This post-harvest processing production line is not only suitable for the current situation of my country's current banana industry with widespread planting and small scale, but also suitable for large-scale post-harvest processing and packaging plants. At present, it has been promoted and applied in the banana producing areas of Guangxi and Hainan, which can not only save 20% of the packaging labor, but also improve the grade of goods.

The team develops lightweight equipment for banana post-harvest processing (pictured: Professor Lu Wangjin)

Achievements: Innovative basic research, leading domestically and leading internationally

  Having engaged in banana post-harvest research for more than ten years, Lu Wangjin's team has not forgotten the basic research on banana fruit quality biology. At any time, basic research is of far-reaching significance for deep-seated solutions to industrial problems. This is a sentence often used by Lu Wangjin. In order to further enrich the basic research on bananas and provide some theoretical and practical references for scientific researchers in other fields, the Lu Wangjin team has gradually established and improved DNA-protein interactions, protein-protein interactions, protein ubiquitination and phosphorylation. Testing and other technology platforms, and take the lead in applying it to the research of bananas and other garden products. In terms of research content, the team used transcription factors as an entry point to clarify the molecular mechanisms of transcription factors such as MaERF9, MaDof23, MaDREB2, MabHLH6 and MaMYB3 that regulate ethylene synthesis and signal transduction, cell wall metabolism and starch degradation and other related genes related to banana maturation and quality formation. . From the perspectives of post-translational modification and epigenetic modification, the relationship between MaNAC2 and its ubiquitination modification, MaERF11 and its participation in histone deacetylation modification and banana ripening and quality formation was analyzed. The relevant results provided new perspectives on fruit ripening regulation and quality formation mechanism. 28 papers have been published in internationally renowned academic journals such as New Phytologist, Plant Physiology, Plant Journal, Plant Biotechnology Journal, Horticulture Research and Postharvest Biology and Technology! These fruits have great influence in the field of banana fruit research at home and abroad.

Systematic interpretation of the transcriptional/post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism of banana fruit ripening and quality formation

Teaching: Educate talents without sticking to one pattern, students will break the wind after the wave

  Teacher Lu is not only a truth-seeking, pragmatic, and rigorous senior professor, he is also a kind and amiable teacher in the laboratory, and also the'banana king' in the hearts of students! Song Chunbo, an excellent doctoral graduate trained by Professor Lu Wangjin Said proudly. Let go and do it boldly! In terms of student training, Lu Wangjin gave full play to the team's strengths and carried out mentor team guidance. The four teachers of the team gave all-round guidance according to the different characteristics of students from different angles. At the same time, the tutors will keep their own space for the students, give full play to the students' autonomous initiative, and encourage more thinking and more action. The team does not advocate high-frequency group meetings, but try to provide students with a relaxed research atmosphere. At present, the existing technology platforms in the laboratory are all independently established by students of multiple sessions, and during this period, they often fail due to small details such as reagent concentration and processing time. However, when encountering difficulties, Lu Wangjin and his team teachers will always analyze with the students, give suggestions, and encourage students to come back after thinking. Many students have made a bright future in the failure, not only have made better discoveries, but also sharpened their will.

  After the students walked out of the laboratory, the Lu Wangjin team also focused on cultivating students' practical problem-solving ability in production practice. Therefore, the postgraduates trained by the team have achieved good results. Among them, 2 have won the honorary title of Outstanding Postgraduate in Guangdong Province, 12 have won the honor of national scholarship, 6 excellent doctoral dissertations at school level, and 2 excellent master theses in Guangdong Province. 5 excellent master's theses at school level, etc. Most of the graduate students who have graduated are now the backbone of various research institutions and universities. In addition, the Lu Wangjin team has also guided 3 undergraduates’ national innovation and entrepreneurship projects, 3 school-level projects, and published 4 academic papers in Chinese core journals such as Journal of Horticulture and Preservation and Processing. Many of them have successfully entered the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences. And high-level research institutions such as China Agricultural University continue to study.

Daily research for graduate students

  Ripe bananas are like smiling faces. What's more interesting is that bananas are clustered closely together, just like a dozen brothers and sisters whispering together and savoring them carefully. It's very interesting. Maybe this It is the most beautiful appearance of banana fruits in the eyes of every scientific researcher.