The "Discovery and Application of Resistance Genes for Southern Rust in Maize" recommended by the Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences (BAAFS) won "the Gold with congratulations of the Jury" award at the 51st Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions.

This award is the highest honor conferred by the premier annual event of the Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions, with onlyabout two percent of all participating projects receiving awards. Corn is the most widely cultivated crop globally with the highest total output. It is of vital importance for global food security and food supply.

The southern corn rust disease reduces corn yield and causes deterioration in quality. Generally, the yield is reduced by about 30 percent, and in severe cases, it can be as high as 80 percent or more. Exploiting and utilizing corn germplasm resources and key genes highly resisters to southern rust disease, and cultivating broad-spectrum and highly resistant hybrid varieties are the most economical and effective methods to prevent this disease.

The Maize Research Institute of BAAFS has identified germplasm resources with high resistance to southern rust. Through map-based cloning, the key gene RppM with high resistance to southern rust in maize was cloned for the first time. The disease resistance mechanism was analyzed at multiple levels including molecular biology, and two functional KASP markers, KM23 and KM19.

The research team curbed the outbreak and spread of southern corn rust disease, significantly reducing the use of pesticides such as fungicides, and became a "successful model in corn disease resistance breeding in China."

This achievement has been published in multiple Science Citation Index papers, and has completed the patent layout for related technologies. RppM belongs to a broad-spectrum immune-type highly resistant gene. The discovery and utilization of this resistance gene provides excellent disease-resistant gene resources for corn resistance breeding, and is of great significance for ensuring global food security.