Chiu Weifan——A Founder of Plant Virology in China and the Pioneer of Agricultural Science

In the halls of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and China Agricultural University hang portraits of Professor Chiu Weifan (裘维蕃, 1912–2000), an eminent Chinese plant pathologist, virologist, mycologist, and educator. A pioneering figure in China's plant pathology and virology, Chiu significantly advanced plant disease prevention and control. As an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, professor at Beijing Agricultural University and China Agricultural University, and among China's first doctoral advisors, Chiu held key roles including Vice President of the China Association for Science and Technology and President of the Chinese Society for Plant Pathology. His accolades included the National Science and Technology Progress Award and National Natural Science Award. Internationally recognized, he pioneered artificial cultivation of edible fungi, was among the first to document fungal heterokaryosis, and introduced the quantitative disease severity assessment formula, widely used as the disease index today. Chiu’s groundbreaking research addressed key agricultural diseases, notably wheat dwarf virus transmitted by gray planthoppers, facilitating early disease prevention strategies. In the 1980s, he formulated the induced plant virus resistance theory and developed the resistance-inducing agent “NS-83,” effectively managing viral diseases in tomatoes, tobacco, and other crops. His impactful contributions significantly safeguarded agricultural production and greatly influenced plant pathology and virology research in China.