The history of College of Agriculture of Yangtze University, dates back to Jingzhou Branch of Huazhong Agricultural College (now Huazhong Agricultural University) founded in 1977, which recruited junior college students majoring in agronomy, plant protection, soil and agricultural chemistry. Jingzhou Branch of Huazhong Agricultural College was renamed Hubei Agricultural College (HAC) in 1985 and began to recruit four-year undergraduates majoring in agronomy, the four-year undergraduate major of plant protection in 1986. In 1987, the departments of HAC were adjusted, and the three departments of Agronomy, Plant Protection, and Soil and Agricultural Chemistry were merged into the Department of Agronomy. In 2003, with the approval of the Ministry of Education of Central Government of China, the former four universities in Jingzhou merged to form Yangtze University with the College of Agriculture.
The college has three departments: Department of Agronomy, Department of Plant Protection, Department of Resource and Environment, with four undergraduate majors: agronomy, plant protection, agricultural resources and environment, and seed science and engineering. Major of agronomy and plant protection were selected as the national first-class undergraduate specialty project construction sites in 2019 and 2021, respectively. Agricultural resources and environment were selected as the first-class undergraduate specialty project construction site of Hubei Province. The college has three first-class disciplines: crop science, plant protection and agricultural resources and environment. Among them, crop science has doctoral degree programs and station for post- doctoral researcher, plant protection and agricultural resources and environment have second-class discipline doctoral authorization points, and all of the three fields have the master's degree programs.
The college has 82 faculty, including 76 doctoral degree holder, 18 doctoral supervisors and 64 master’s supervisors, 31 professors and 31 associate professors, 43 scholars with overseas research experience, 4 experts enjoying special allowances from the State Council and the provincial government, one national excellent teacher, 3 young and middle-aged experts with outstanding contributions at the provincial level, and 4 candidates for the second level of Hubei New Century Talent Project.
The college has established 63 off campus undergraduate practical teaching cooperative education bases in institutions such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, provincial academies of agricultural sciences and Zhejiang University. The total value of experimental instruments and equipment is more than 65 million CNY. There is an insect herbarium with 500,000 specimens. The scientific research and practice base in the school covers an area of 15 ha, including intelligent greenhouse, network room, potted plant farm, weather station, field experimental community and field demonstration area. In the past two years, the college has supported more than 114 innovation and entrepreneurship projects for undergraduate students, and 60% of undergraduates have entered the teachers' research group to carry out scientific research.
The college has eight ministerial or provincial research platforms/centers, including the Engineering Research Center of the Ministry of Education for Wetland Ecology and Agricultural Utilization, Hubei Key Laboratory of Waterlogging Disaster and Wetland Agriculture, Hubei Waterlogged Land Development Engineering Technology Research Center, Hubei International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base Of Wetland Agriculture, Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for the Industrialization Of Major Grain Crops, Hubei Biological Breeding Technology R & D Center jointly built by Yangtze University and enterprises, Hubei Selenium Enriched Rice R & D Center jointly built by Yangtze University and enterprises, Hubei Agricultural And Forestry Pest Early Warning and Control Engineering Technology Research Center. Over the past five years, we has successively presided and completed two National Public Welfare Industry (Agriculture) Science and Technology Plan Projects, presided 32 National Natural Science Funds, 18 National key R & D special topics or sub topics in the 13th five year plan, and 120 provincial and ministerial projects (Hubei Provincial Science and Natural Science Fund, Hubei Provincial Science and Technology Support Key Projects, Major Projects of Hubei Provincial Department of Education, etc.). The average annual scientific research funds received are more than 13 million.
In the past five years, the college has won 25 awards for scientific and technological achievements at or above the provincial and ministerial level, including 7 first prizes, 8 second prizes and 10 third prizes. Presided over or participated in the breeding of 16 new rice varieties, formulated 12 local or industrial standards, obtained 53 authorized patents with independent intellectual property rights, and published 43 books, 232 SCI papers.
The college has 936 full-time ordinary undergraduates and 407 full-time doctoral and master's students, among them there are 16 international students. The college has established close cooperative relations with universities and scientific research institutions in the United States, Germany, Japan, Canada, Australia, South Korea and other countries, and has continuously selected outstanding undergraduates and postgraduates to study and study abroad. Famous Scientists at home and abroad are regularly invited our college to give lectures and hold large-scale academic exchange conferences, which improves the academic innovation ability and comprehensive competitiveness of the college.
