Core Insights - The Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Awards for 2024 announced a total of 206 awarded projects, with an increase of 10 in the Natural Science category compared to the previous year [1] - The only agricultural project to win the first prize in the Natural Science category is "The Symbiotic Mechanism of Plants and Microorganisms," led by Wang Ertao, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences [1] Group 1: Research Achievements - Wang Ertao has focused on plant-microbe symbiosis since returning to China in 2013, publishing multiple research results in international journals [1] - His research enables the cultivation of rice varieties with high symbiotic efficiency and the development of "fertilizer-reducing and efficiency-increasing" microbial agents for crops like soybeans [1][2] - Key findings include the discovery that fatty acids are the main carbon source plants provide to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, overturning the previous belief that sugars were the primary source [2] - The team revealed the molecular mechanisms regulating phosphorus signaling networks in plants, addressing a significant scientific challenge in the field of mycorrhizal symbiosis [2] Group 2: Agricultural Applications - The research has laid the groundwork for breeding high-efficiency rice varieties and applying mycorrhizal fungi in agricultural production [2][4] - A new rice variety, "Gan Jun Rice No. 1," has been developed, which maintains yield and quality while reducing chemical fertilizer use by 50% [4] - The team also found that applying beneficial microorganisms can enhance soybean yields, especially in low-nitrogen conditions, contributing to reduced fertilizer use and agricultural pollution [5] Group 3: Future Prospects - Future research may lead to the development of more beneficial microbial agents for farmers, supporting sustainable agricultural development in China [5]