The 1st International Symposium on Soil Microbiome and Soil Health 

From 2023 November 12th to 14th, with the joint support of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science and Technology, our university successfully held the first International Symposium on Soil Microbiome and Soil Health, officially launching the "Discipline Innovation and Intelligence Introduction Program for Soil Microbiome and Soil Health in Arid Regions". Vice Presidents Luo Jun and Wei Gehong, and James M. Tiedje, a member of the National Academy of Sciences in the United States, delivered speeches respectively. More than 15 experts from countries such as the United States, Germany, France, Australia, Austria, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea, as well as over 200 experts and graduate students from relevant fields in our university's College of Resources and Environment, School of Life Sciences, and College of Agriculture participated in the symposium.

Luo Jun stated that the launch of the "Discipline Innovation and Intelligence Introduction Base for Soil Microbiome and Soil Health in Arid Regions" will further enhance the international influence of the university's agricultural resources and environmental disciplines. The university will identify key entry points for discipline innovation, introduce and cultivate scientific and technological support and talent reserves, and provide comprehensive supporting measures to jointly support the long-term development of the base, providing strong support for the internationalization of the discipline.

Wei Gehong, the chief expert of the Innovation and Intelligence Introduction Base, stated that the first year of the introduction plan will focus on interconnection, aiming to strengthen academic communication, cooperative integration, and talent connection with internationally renowned experts, injecting new momentum into global soil health. He hopes that everyone will work together to build a new pattern and provide more comprehensive solutions to address global soil health issues in arid regions.

Academician James M. Tiedje expressed his intention to actively gather a group of overseas experts and academic backbones to jointly participate in discipline innovation. At the same time, he will inject rich international academic resources into the base, providing world-class research results and cutting-edge ideas, injecting new vitality into the field of soil microbiome and soil health, and promoting the innovative development of the discipline.

Academician James M. Tiedje and Professor Alexandra Kravchenko from Michigan State University, Professor Kornelia Smalla from the Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants in Germany, Professor Jorge Rodrigues from the University of California, Davis, Professor Alexander Rosado from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia, Professor Jihyun Kim from Yonsei University in South Korea, Professor Wang Fengping from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Gupta Vadakattu, Andrew Bissett, and Falko Mathes from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Australia, Associate Professor Xavier Bellanger from Lorraine University in France, Professor Woo Jun Sul and Dr. Jin Ju Kim from Chung-Ang University in South Korea, Associate Professor Luis-Miguel Rodriguez-R from the University of Innsbruck in Austria, Professor Jianhua Guo from the University of Queensland in Australia, Associate Professor Timothy Johnson from Purdue University in the United States, as well as Professor Qian Xun, Professor Ren Chengjie, Associate Professor Shu Duntao, Dr. Yue Hong, and Ph.D. candidate Bai Xiaoli from our university presented 21 academic reports in the fields of soil microbiome, synthetic biology, microbiome data analysis, and the function and regulation of soil-microbe systems. Professor Li Zhi, Professor Qian Xun, Associate Professor Sun Wei, and Associate Professor Hu Ting from the College of Resources and Environment, Professor Ren Chengjie from the College of Agriculture, and Professor Li Zhefei, Associate Professor Chen Chun, and Associate Professor Shu Duntao from the School of Life Sciences moderated the thematic sessions. Through sharing their latest research findings, the experts and scholars conducted in-depth discussions on cutting-edge issues related to the soil microbiome and soil health, providing profound insights for future academic research and sustainable agricultural development.

During the symposium, the experts visited the university's field stations in Changwu, where they engaged in in-depth discussions on topics such as soil moisture and nutrients in arid regions, as well as the soil microbiome and soil health.