Prof. Qing Yao received a B.S. in fruit trees from Anhui Agricultural University in 1993. He received an M.S. in fruit trees from Southwest University in 1997. He received a Ph.D. in plant nutrition from China
Agricultural University in 2000. Currently, he is a professor at the College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University. He is also a member of the Chinese Citrus Society and the Chinese Society of Microbiology and a guest researcher at the Guangdong Institute of Microbiology. His long-term research focuses on the use of biological resources (herbaceous cultivation, soil microorganisms, bio-organic fertilizers) for soil improvement in red soil orchards in South China, with an emphasis on herbaceous cultivation and soil microbial ecology, mycorrhizal biology, and the development of multi-functional bio-organic fertilizers.
