On December 7th, according to the result of the newly elected members of Chinese Academy of Engineering released for the year of 2015, Li Tianlai, SYAU’s professor was elected member of agricultural division of Chinese Academy of Engineering. Professor Li Tianlai has become the second SYAU’s native CAE member, after Professor Chen Wenfu the first SYAU’s member of Chinese Academy of Engineering. The election of professor Li Tianlai as a new member of Chinese Academy of Engineering is regarded as the one of the most splendid achievements produced from the striding-mode development of SYAU during the twelfth Five-Year period and another milestone in SYAU’s development history.
The membership of Chinese Academy of Engineering, a life-long honorary membership, is the highest honor in the field of engineering science and technology in China. Professor Li Tianlai has made tremendous achievement in developing the theories and practice of applying sunlight greenhouse to vegetable and fruits production, which is attributed to his election as member of Chinese Academy of Engineering. “I used to be a SYAU student and have been working in SYAU until now since graduation. The honor belongs to my alma mater that educated me in the first place,” said professor Li with profound gratitude to his teachers and leaders for their mentorship and help and to his research team members for their unfailing support and common team spirit. “I will honor the membership by making unremitting efforts in my field.”
Professor Li Tianlai is among the first group of experts of protected horticulture who initiated the research on sunlight greenhouse. Ever since professor Li graduated from SYAU in 1982, he has been dedicating to seeking solutions to making fresh vegetables accessible to people living in northern China during winter time and his over 30 years of lasting effort has overcome the difficulties with vegetable production of cold regions during winter time. Professor Li invented the theory and methodology for designing sunlight greenhouse that are apt for optimal lighting, heat storage and heat preservation, developed design software used for optimizing sunlight greenhouse structure and has determined the parameters for the optimal structure of sunlight greenhouse used in the regions between 38 to 46 degrees north latitude. Professor Li also initiated the development of the fourth generation energy-saving sunlight greenhouse whose lighting rate has been improved from 73% to 86% and night-time air temperature difference inside and outside the greenhouse has been improved from
25
℃
to 39℃. The size of regions where fruits and vegetables can be grown in the greenhouse without heating during winter time has been extended from 40.5 degree north latitude to 43.5 degrees north latitude (extending around 300 km to the north). Compared with the traditional multi-span greenhouse, the new-type greenhouse sees a cost reduction of 55% and 60 to 80 ton coal saved from each mu (equivalent of 666.67 square meters).
Professor Li explored the occurrence mechanism of growing barriers that hinder the growth of vegetables and fruits in the adverse situation, based on which he developed the key technology for growing fruits and vegetables with the low temperature and weak lighting and established sunlight greenhouse fruits and vegetables cultivation mode and technology that features intensive seedling growing, winter-spring season cultivation, long-season cultivation and full-season cultivation. With the technology, professor Li was the first to achieve unprecedentedly a record high of 25-ton annual yield of fruits and vegetables per mu (equivalent of 666.67square meters) using the greenhouse without heating in the areas with the air temperature lower than minus 28℃, three times of the yield in 1990s, which also has laid a solid technological foundation for the formation and development of sunlight greenhouse vegetable industry.
Currently, the research achievements that are attributable to Professor Li Tianlai have been put into extended application. In 18 provinces and autonomous regions including northeastern China, Inner Mongolia, North China, northwestern China and Huanghai Sea and Huaihai Sea basins, the research fruits of professor Li has been enjoyed in a area of 16.84 million mu (equivalent of 1.13 million square meters) by 70% of greenhouses of those regions with increased profit adding up to RMB64.9 billion. The contributions of Professor Li does not only enrich local residents’ “vegetable basket”, but also make local farmers get richer.
Over 30 years of scientific research and academic endeavor, Professor Li has been principal investigator for more than 40 projects of both provincial and national levels, awarded science and technology awards for 19 times, and has possessed 13 patents for invention. It is well-recognized that the contribution made by Professor Li Tianlai has been an indispensible part for the advance of protected horticulture as a subject of science in China.
