Wei Jingchao

Wei Jingchao was born on December 21, 1908 in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province. After graduating from Huilan Middle School in 1926, he was admitted to the Department of Horticulture of Jinling University. He graduated in 1930 and stayed there as a teaching assistant in the Department of Plant Pathology. He was awarded the "Fei Tao Fei" Society member and the Golden Key Award for his excellent academic performance. He returned to China with a doctorate in 1937 and taught at Jinling University until 1948. He has served successively as professor of the School of Agriculture, chairman of the Scientific Research Committee of the School of Agriculture, director of the Plant Pathology Group, director of the Department of Plant Diseases and Pests, dean of Jinling University, and chairman of the School Committee of the Research Institute of Jinling University. During this period, he served as a special member of the Agricultural Revitalization Committee of the National Government for Disease and Pests Control. In August 1947, he was hired by Luo Zongluo to conduct research on soybean and fruit crop diseases, dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and the relationship between germination and growth of fungal spores in the Plant Pathology Laboratory of the Institute of Botany, Academia Sinica.

Wei Jingchao returned to China in 1950 and still taught at Jinling University, teaching plant viruses courses and conducting research work. In 1952, the college was restructured and the College of Agriculture of Jinling University was merged into Nanjing Agricultural College. In addition to teaching outside classes, he mainly focused on research on diseases and control of grain and oil crops.