Corn is a popular crop in China. It can be used in a wide range of fields: food for humans, feed for livestock and raw material for ethanol, an environment-friendly fuel.

He Jing is a corn specialist based in Dandong, Liaoning Province. The corn seeds she develops are planted in many parts of China, such as Hainan Province in the far south, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the far west and Jilin Province in northeast China.

He Jing

During the 11th National People's Congress (NPC), which concludes on March 18, Ms. He Jing accepted an exclusive interview with China.org.cn.

"In the past, we were mainly engaged in academic research. Promotion of related cultivation skills has long been neglected. This results in a lower yield of our corn seeds in ordinary farmland, although all the seeds are growing well in laboratory," He Jing remarked.

"In this field, the foreign companies set a good example," she continued. "When selling seeds, they will give the farmers a detailed pamphlet on how to cultivate the plant. The Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. even gives farmers a small sower. The pre-set machine can help farmers sow seeds in a proper manner and reap a bumper harvest." The Chinese seed companies have brochures too, but they usually consist of a small piece of paper that contains vague instructions. "We must learn from our foreign counterparts. Otherwise, we will lag behind in market competition," the scientist said.

As a seed scientist, He Jing said she is greatly annoyed by the piracy of intellectual property. Every achievement she has made is the result of long, painstaking work. However, whenever a new seed is developed, it can be soon found everywhere under various names. "No one bothers to inform us. They simply take the seed and sell it. In the group meeting of our delegation, I put forth a proposal on the protection of intellectual property in agricultural research. I hope the government can take stricter measures to protect new innovations in bio-technology."

These days, He Jing is also working hard to find new methods to develop corn seed. In addition to conventional means, she has conducted research on corn seeds sent into outer space. "The space is full of unknown energy. No one knows what changes it may bring to research in corn seeds," she said. "We haven't discovered any new features from the seeds. But we are making active attempts and are doing more thorough analysis."

(China.org.cn by staff reporter Chen Xia, March 17, 2008)