Dr. Wenkui Liu | Agricultural and Biological Sciences | Research Exellence Award

Shanxi Agriculture University | China

Dr. Wenkui Liu is a dedicated researcher in Agricultural and Biological Sciences, with specialized expertise in plant pathology, mycology, and molecular biology. He is currently a Research Associate at Shanxi Agricultural University, where his work focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying plant–pathogen interactions, particularly fungal diseases affecting economically important crops. Dr. Liu has developed a strong academic foundation through advanced training in plant pathology and plant protection, enabling him to apply molecular genetics, functional genomics, and pathogenicity analysis to complex biological systems. His research is centered on the fungal pathogen Colletotrichum fructicola, where he has identified and characterized key transcription factors and signaling pathways that regulate infection, penetration, colonization, and disease development in host plants such as apple. Through systematic gene function analysis and regulatory network exploration, his work has significantly advanced knowledge of fungal pathogenic mechanisms and host–pathogen interactions. Dr. Liu has actively contributed to multiple competitive research projects supported by provincial and institutional funding programs, demonstrating strong research independence and project coordination skills. His findings have been disseminated through publications in leading international journals in plant pathology, microbiology, and food and agricultural sciences, reflecting both scientific rigor and practical relevance. In addition to fundamental plant disease research, he has also contributed to interdisciplinary studies linking pesticide residues, food safety, and biological health risks, broadening the impact of his work beyond traditional plant pathology. Dr. Liu is an active member of the Chinese Society for Plant Pathology and remains committed to advancing sustainable agriculture through disease management research. His consistent scientific contributions, methodological strength, and focus on agricultural problem-solving make him a highly deserving recipient of the Research Excellence Award.

View Orcid Profile

Featured Publications

Ms. Wenjie Wu | Agricultural and Biological Sciences | Excellence in Research

North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power | China

Ms. Wenjie Wu is a scholar in Agricultural Water–Soil Engineering whose work focuses on ecohydrology, vegetation water-use strategies, afforestation impacts, and soil–plant interactions in semi-arid landscapes, particularly the Loess Plateau of China. She serves as a Lecturer at the North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, following her earlier academic position at the Central South University of Forestry and Technology, and has also undertaken international doctoral research training at Aarhus University in Denmark. Her academic foundation includes advanced research training at Northwest A&F University and undergraduate studies at the Hebei University of Engineering, through which she built strong expertise in hydrological processes, soil restoration, and sustainable agricultural systems. As a principal investigator, she leads competitive research projects funded by provincial science foundations, where she examines water consumption patterns, tree-species adaptability, deep-soil hydrological dynamics, and the ecological benefits of vegetation restoration. Her research output includes collaborative publications in high-impact journals such as Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, Catena, the European Journal of Forest Research, Forests, Journal of Hydrology, Agricultural Water Management, and Land Degradation & Development, covering themes like transpiration partitioning, root water-uptake responses, phenological controls on water use, and soil-property enhancement under restoration. Across her publication record, she has authored 14 documents, achieving an h-index of 10 with 395 citations cited by 364 documents, reflecting the visibility and influence of her contributions within the fields of hydrology, forestry, environmental science, and sustainable land management. Her collaborative work with national and international researchers highlights her commitment to advancing scientific understanding of water–soil–vegetation interactions, improving ecological restoration strategies, and supporting climate-resilient agricultural development in water-limited regions.

Profile: Scopus

Featured Publications

Wu, W. J., Li, H. J., Feng, H., Si, B. C., Chen, G. J., Meng, T. F., Li, Y., & Siddique, K. H. M. (2021). Precipitation dominates the transpiration of both the economic forest (Malus pumila) and ecological forest (Robinia pseudoacacia) on the Loess Plateau after about 15 years of water depletion in deep soil. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 297, 108244.

Wu, W. J., Tao, Z., Chen, G. J., Meng, T. F., Li, Y., Feng, H., Si, B. C., Manevski, K., Andersen, M. N., & Siddique, K. H. M. (2022). Phenology determines water use strategies of three economic tree species in the semi-arid Loess Plateau of China. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 312, 108716.

Wang, D. L., Li, Y. B., Zhang, B. B., Jiang, T. C., Wu, S. Y., Wu, W. J., Li, Y., He, J. Q., Liu, D. L., Dong, Q. G., & Feng, H. (2025). Explore the evolution of winter wheat production and its response to climate change under varying precipitation years in the Loess Plateau of China. Agricultural Water Management, 309(2), 109335.