On the Construction of the Discipline and Specialty of “Plant Medicine”
- Received Date: 14/04/2021
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Key words:
- plant medicine /
- plant protection /
- discipline development /
- the new agricultural science
Abstract: Before 1952,there were two separate disciplines,"plant pathology" and "entomology" in many colleges and universities in China,and "plant protection" discipline or specialty was unknown to the Chinese. In 1952,when the national colleges and universities were reorganized,the discipline of "plant protection" was introduced and established following the Soviet model. At present,at least 62 colleges and universities in China have set up the discipline of "plant protection" for undergraduates and associate degree majors. The term"plant protection" lacks of self-explanation and is ambiguous for prospective students,resulting in low enrollment and impeded development. At the same time,plant protection focuses on the prevention and control of plant diseases,harmful insects,weeds and other pests,and the students are trained to identify and control diseases,pests and weeds with pesticides. No matterin terms of specialty name,specialty emphasis and concept,the discipline is far from meeting the needs of training high-quality personnel and the development of "agriculture,rural areas and farmers" under the background of modern agricultural science. "Plant medicine",upgraded from the present "plant protection" discipline and combined with human medicine and veterinary medicine,will constitute three pillars for human health and food security and is an indispensable link in building an ecological community with a shared future.
"Plant medicine" has a self-evident meaning and is a novel concept. "Basic plant medicine" explores the relationship between plants and pests; "practical plant medicine" advocates the "preventive pest management" with plant health as the core. In this article,we analyze the problems in the development of plant protection discipline in colleges and universities,and appeal for changing the discipline and specialty of "plant protection" to "plant medicine". We also suggest establishing a scientific and effective personnel training system for plant medicine,and new agricultural sciences.In order to effectively and deeply implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s letter to agriculture-related colleges and universities,we will promote the innovative development of higher agriculture and forestry education under the guidance of the construction of new agricultural sciences,and train more new talents in learning,understanding and loving agriculture.