Chen Ruitai's Founding Tobacco Institute

In April, 1958, the Ministry of Agriculture established the Institute of Tobacco Specialty, with Chen Ruitai as the head of the preparatory group. In September of the same year, with the approval of the State Council Science Planning Committee, it was named Tobacco Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, with Chen Ruitai as its director. He personally participated in the planning from determining the site, collecting land, capital construction planning, mobilizing scientific and technical personnel, to laboratory construction and instrument purchase. For decades, Tobacco Institute has been developed from scratch, and now it has become the center of tobacco scientific research and technical exchange in China.

Chen Ruitai often emphasized that "the bounden duty of our scientists is to explore, and as long as we persevere, we will eventually succeed." In order to do a good job in the scientific research of the institute, he has always attached importance to the talent construction of the technical team. He believes that the key to the tobacco research institute's scientific research and technology promotion lies in whether there is a technical team with reasonable structure, and whether it can produce results and achievements depends on the depth and breadth of the professional theory of scientific and technological personnel. For decades, he has greatly improved the ability of scientific and technical personnel to solve practical problems by organizing technicians to squat at the grassroots level, establishing high-quality tobacco model fields and popularizing advanced cultivation techniques. The Institute also sent several scientific and technical personnel to Somalia and Tanzania to guide the cultivation of flue-cured tobacco, which gave them a comprehensive exercise. In recent years, many people have visited the United States, Zimbabwe, Japan and Turkey, and outstanding scientific and technological personnel have been selected to further their studies in institutions of higher learning and foreign language colleges to meet the needs of scientific research and development. At present, the Institute has 46 senior and intermediate researchers, together with the middle-aged academic leaders trained, forming a scientific and technological team with reasonable level and high level supported by backbone forces.

Chen Ruitai requires that the research topic must be fully demonstrated, and the research project and project design should be carefully reviewed and examined by him. As early as the early days of the establishment, he pointed out that the vitality of tobacco lies in deepening the application of basic research. Regrettably, this guiding ideology was ignored during the "Cultural Revolution". After the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, he once again reiterated that only by strengthening applied basic research can there be technical reserves and the work of tobacco institutes have stamina. Tobacco anther culture was the first in this institute and it was successful. Later, new technologies such as protoplast culture and somatic hybridization breeding were studied. Now, key technologies such as cell wall removal, enzyme dosage, osmotic concentration, recovery of cell division function and medium deployment have been solved, and leaf protoplasts of common tobacco and yellow flower tobacco were successfully fused for the first time in China. After morphological and cytological identification, they were confirmed to be hybrid plants. This work laid a foundation for overcoming the incompatibility of distant hybridization and creating new species.

Chen Ruitai believes that China, as a big tobacco country, must have a sufficient number of senior, middle and junior technicians, and must widely popularize tobacco production technology. Besides completing the tasks of scientific research and technology development, tobacco research institutes should also shoulder the task of cultivating talents for the whole country. In recent years, the Tobacco Research Institute has established a teaching base and held many training courses on tobacco production technology, which has become a center for training grass-roots technical talents and technical consultation for major tobacco-growing areas in China.

Chen Ruitai joined the China Democratic League in 1953 and the China Producer Party in 1956. He is the first, second and third vice-chairmen of Shandong Association for Science and Technology, a member of the first National Committee of China Association for Science and Technology, a director of China Agricultural Society, a director of China Crop Society, an executive director of China Plant Protection Society, a vice-chairman of china tobacco society, and a chairman of Shandong Plant Pathology Society. He was elected as a deputy to the Third National People's Congress and the 12th Congress of China * * * Production Party.

dedication to work is only ambition, but diligence is only diligence. Chen Ruitai has many achievements and is highly respected. In his twilight years, when he was over eighty, he was still full of courage and worked hard. For the prosperity of China and the prosperity of the nation, he has, as always, followed the path pioneered by him. Professor Chen Ruitai, a famous agronomist, agricultural educator, plant pathologist in China, founder of tobacco science and technology and former president of Shandong Agricultural University, died in Tai 'an at 1: 56 pm on April 7, 21 at the age of 91.

On the afternoon of September 8th, 26, the unveiling ceremony of the memorial statues of Wang Jingxi, the first president of Shandong Agricultural University, and Chen Ruitai, the old president, was held in front of Building No.4 and Youth Square. Gai Guoqiang, secretary of the Party Committee of the school, Yin Xiangchu, academician of the China Academy of Sciences, and Shi Pei, former president of the school, unveiled two commemorative statues.

Mr. Chen Ruitai was the president of Shandong Agricultural University from September 1952 to December 1983. He was a famous agronomist, agricultural educator, plant pathologist in China, the founder of tobacco science and technology, and the longest-serving president of Shandong Agricultural University. He has worked hard in the field of agricultural science and education for more than 6 years and made important contributions to the development of agricultural science. He attaches importance to teaching work and strictly grasps teaching management; Attach importance to scientific research and advocate unity and cooperation; Emphasizing the combination of theory and practice, paying close attention to the construction of laboratories and practice farms, paying attention to international academic exchanges and caring about the construction of teaching staff have laid a solid foundation for the long-term development of the school. Professor Chen Ruitai's noble moral character and the spirit of seeking truth from facts, being brave in pioneering, working hard and teaching people tirelessly fully embody the demeanor of the older generation of agricultural educators and scientists, leaving valuable spiritual wealth for Shandong Agricultural University. Mr. Chen's example and exemplary role endow Shandong Agricultural University with new connotation.