Cucumber Genetics and Breeding - a Themed Issue in Memory of Academician Feng Hou (1928 - 2020)

Dear Colleagues,

Academician Feng Hou (侯锋) (3 February 1928－7 November 2020), born in Pingdu, Shandong Province in 1928, was an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, former vice president of Tianjin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, director of Tianjin Cucumber Research Institute, Chinese Cucumber Breeding expert, and the leader in the field of cucumber disease resistance breeding in China. He had many scientific accomplishments and successively won the National Science Conference Award, the second prize of the National Invention Award, the second prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award, and the China Engineering Science and Technology Award.

Academician Feng Hou, who graduated from Beijing Agricultural University (now China Agricultural University) in 1954, was a famous vegetable breeding expert in China. He led in carrying out research on cucumber disease resistance breeding in China, conquering the disease resistance of cucumber downy mildew, powdery mildew, fusarium wilt, and other diseases. Additionally, he extensively introduced and utilized domestic and foreign variety resources, combined disease resistance, high yield, and early maturity, and released series of new cucumber varieties of Jinyan (津研), Jinza (津杂), and Jinchun (津春).The "fine cucumbers" have entered the dining table of thousands of households, and he was affectionately called "the king of cucumbers" by farmers. He took the lead in carrying out research on the inheritance of cucumber traits and promoted the development of vegetable breeding technology in China. The Tianjin Cucumber Research Institute he founded and its breeding, seed production, and industrialization engineering system have created a model for China's scientific research and system reform. The social benefits are significant.

To commemorate the outstanding contributions made by Prof. Hou to China cucumber breeding and industrialization, this Special Issue of Genes is soliciting original research, review or opinion articles from a variety of research fields under the theme ‘Cucumber Genetics and Breeding’. Manuscripts in the following topics are particularly encouraged: genetic resources, disease resistance, abiotic stress tolerance, development, trait discovery and genetics, genomics, and breeding. While we will focus on cucumber in this Special Issue, contributions from other cucurbitaceae crops are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Shengli Du
Prof. Dr. Yiqun Weng
Prof. Dr. Xiaolan Zhang
Prof. Dr. Jinfeng Chen
Prof. Dr. Shengping Zhang
Guest Editors

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