On January 10^th, the 2019 National Science and Technology Progress Award Conference was held at the Great Hall of the People. The project “breeding and application of Xinong 979 --- new wheat variety with early-maturing, cold-resistance and scab-resistance characters ” presided by NWAFU Professor Wang Hui, won the second prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award.

“Xinong 979” bred by Professor Wang Hui’s research team is the only early-maturing and cold-resistance wheat variety that is widely cultivated in the Huanghuai wheat‐growing region over the past twenty years. It is also the top strong-gluten wheat variety and the most widely-planted wheat variety of scab-tolerance in China. To date, it has been planted in the area of 142 million mu, with 5.05 billion kilograms of quality wheat and 20.2 billion Yuan increment. The variety has contributed to national grain security and disciplinary reputation. The national award to a college-conducted project marks a breakthrough in this field since the merge of NWAFU.