Krishan K. Verma, PhD, is working as a Foreign Expert at the Sugarcane Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Sugarcane Research Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Genetic Improvement/Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biotechnology and Genetic Improvement (Guangxi) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in Nanning, Guangxi, China. He has 14 years of research experience in the field of biotic and abiotic stresses, such as environmental toxicology, plant physiology, bioengineering, and nanobioscience. His research focuses on environmental toxicology, bioengineering modeling, plant physiology, and molecular biology, and their impacts on growth and physiological and molecular adaptation strategies of plants to stressful environments and how they affect plant structure. He is working with Prof. Yang-Rui Li, a world-renowned plant scientist. He was conferred the prestigious Award of Excellence for outstanding research in agricultural sciences in 2021. He has published more than 130 scientific research articles, including books and book chapters. He is an internationally recognized reviewer and has been serving as an editorial board member of various peer-reviewed journals.Xiu-Peng Song, PhD, is working as Associate Professor at the Sugarcane Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Sugarcane Research Center, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences/ Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Genetic Improvement/Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biotechnology and Genetic Improvement (Guangxi) of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanning, Guangxi, China. His ongoing research focuses on plant physiology and biochemistry of stress resistance, occurrence mechanisms, and comprehensive control of diseases and insect pests in sugarcane. He has presided over four funded projects, such as by the National Natural Science Foundation, China, and participated in 16 projects that involved national and international cooperation. He has won six awards, including a Guangxi Science and Technology Progress Award. He has published over 65 scientific publications, three book chapters, and one book (Springer). He received his master and PhD degrees (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) from Guangxi University, Guangxi, China.Lin Xu, PhD, is an Associate Researcher working at the Sugarcane Research Institute at the Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning, Guangxi, China. She is mainly engaged in conventional breeding and cultivation of sugarcane, innovation of sugarcane germplasm resources, and key technology innovation of the sugarcane seed industry. She has participated in and presided over several provincial, ministerial, and prefectural level projects. She has been granted several invention and utility model patents and has participated in the grant of other invention patents. She has also participated in the grant of 26 patents (as first inventor) and has obtained three computer software copyrights. She has participated in the compilation of two local standards in Guangxi. Her awards include the Guangxi Science and Technology Award for Scientific and Technological Progress (first prize), third prize of Guangxi Science and Technology Award for Technological Invention, and the first prize from the Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences for Scientific and Technological Progress. She has published over 40 scientific publications in high repute journals.Rajan Bhatt, PhD, is currently an Associate Professor of Soil Science at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Amritsar, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), India. He formerly worked at the Regional Research Station at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India. He has more than 13 years of research experience in enhancing farmers livelihoods and more than five years in enhancing sugarcane crop growth and yield, insect-pest management [early shoot borer (Chilo infuscatellus) and stalk borer (Chilo auricilius) ] under differential regimes of irrigation and potash under stressed conditions. Dr. Bhatt also worked on foliar application of potassium salt of active phosphorus (PSAP) to mitigate insect pests and improve yield along with sugarcane quality in response to agroclimatic conditions of Punjab for the first time. He assessed the changes in soil organic pool and carbon preservation capacity of macro? and micro?aggregates in response to land?use change in northwestern India and tested polyhalite (K2Ca2Mg(SO4)4·2H2O) in Punjab, India, which positively influences sugarcane growth, yield, and quality in potassium and calcium-deficient soils in the semi-arid tropics. He actively improves farmer livelihoods by reducing water, fertilizer, and carbon footprints in their fields.Yang-Rui Li, PhD, has been serving as Professor (Life-time and Director of the Sugarcane Research Center of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences since September 2007. He has also been serving as Chief-Expert of the National Joint Research Program for Elite Sugarcane Variety Development in China since 2018. He is President of the International Association for Professionals of Sugar and Integrated Technologies (IAPSIT), Vice-President of the Society for Sugar Research and Promotion (SSRP), and President of the Chinese Sugarcane Industry Association for Technological Innovation (CSIATI). His research interests include sugarcane physiology, biochemistry and molecular biology, sugarcane genetics, breeding and cultivation, and chemical regulation of growth and development of sugarcane. He has published 16 books and more than 1000 papers and has received 23 scientific research achievement awards from the Chinese government to date as well as 14 awards from international organizations, including a Lifetime Achievement Award—SSRP (2011), Lifetime Achievement Award—IAPSIT (2014), and Leadership Excellence Award from the Thailand Society of Sugarcane and Sugar Technologists (2018). He has been affiliated with Guangxi Agricultural University in many roles, including lecturer, professor, university vice president as well as President of the Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
