Principal Investigator

Dr. Xingping Zhang

Peking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences
699 Binghu Road, Xiashan Ecological and Economic Development Zone, Weifang, Shandong, P.R. China
Email: xingping.zhang@pku-iaas.edu.cn | Phone: +86 18857578357

Education

Ph.D. in Genetics (Minor in Statistics), Clemson University, USA, 1993–1995

M.S. in Vegetable Science, Northwestern Agricultural University (now Northwest A&F University), China, 1983–1986

B.S. in Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, China, 1979–1983

Professional Experience

Deputy Director, Peking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, China, August 2019 – Present

Science and Technology Fellow, Syngenta Biotechnology (Beijing) Co., Ltd., China, January 2017 – July 2019

Chief Scientist, Director, Ming Kang Hui Ecological Agriculture Group, Hailiang Ecological Agriculture Research Institute, China, October 2013 – December 2016

Plant Scientist, Chief Watermelon Breeder, Head of Global Cucurbits R&D, Syngenta, USA, October 1999 – October 2013

Plant Breeder/Research Department Director, Hollar Seeds, USA, March 1996 – September 1999

Research Assistant, Postdoctoral Fellow, Clemson University, USA, May 1991 – March 1996

Assistant, Lecturer, Northwest A&F University, China, July 1986 – May 1991

Research Interests

Reference genome construction for cucurbit crops; identification, cloning, and functional validation of genes for essential traits.

Trait introgression and accelerated breeding methods.

New germplasm generation via advanced technologies and breeding of commercial varieties.

Selected Publications

Mingxia Zhao†, Rui Cheng†, Yongchun Wang, Jisheng Liu, Xiaoni Li, Lifang Xue, Taohong Fang, Yudong Sun, Yun Deng*, Yunbi Xu*, Xingping Zhang* (2026) Development and Application of a 40 K Liquid Chip Enriched with Structural Variation Markers for Watermelon Breeding. Horticulture Research, uhag221, https://doi.org/10.1093/hr/uhag221

Taohong Fang†, Zhen Zhuang†, Mingxia Zhao†, Xiao Chu, Jingsheng Tan, Xinyang Xu, Rui Cheng, Yi Zhang, Xu Wang, Yunbi Xu*, Xingping Zhang*, Yun Deng* (2026) ClBCM: an EMS mutated gene regulating chlorophyll synthesis and adaptation to diverse stresses in watermelon. Mol Horticulture 6, 39 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1186/s43897-025-00223-6

Wang T†., Hu W. †, Song W., Liao X., Zheng H., Zhang X., Xin X., Singh P.K., Chen Y. *, and Xu Y. * (2026). From triangle to pyramid: Understanding host–pathogen–microbiome-environment interplay for sustainable, enviromics-empowered management of plant diseases. Plant Comm. 7, 101815. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xplc.2026.101815

Juan Li†, Zenghui Chen†, Kui Li†, Jingsheng Tan, Jing Sun, Xing Wang Deng, Younghoon Park*, Hang He*, Yun Deng*, Xingping Zhang* (2026) Telomere-to-telomere genome assembly and a mutant library empower functional genomics and genetic improvement in Cucurbita moschata, Plant Communications, 7, 101836 DOI: 10.1016/j.xplc.2026.101836 

Taotao Wang, Wenjing Hu, Weifeng Song, Xiwen Liao, Hongjian Zheng, Xingping Zhang, Xiufang Xin, Pawan Kumar Singh, Yuan Chen* and Yunbi Xu* (2026) From triangle to pyramid: Understanding host– pathogen–microbiome-environment interplay for sustainable, enviromics-empowered management of plant diseases, Plant Communications, 7, 101815 DOI: 10.1016/j.xplc.2026.101815 

Yilin Zhang*, Xiaoyi Wang, Yan Wang, Yu Niu, Xu Han, Jingsheng Tan, Xinyu Ma, Qingzheng Zhang, Jie Liu, Zhijie Zhang, Wenying Gao, Wenjie Liang, Luyao Li, ZhaoHua Liu, Xingping Zhang*, Hang He*, Yan Yang* and Renbo Yu* (2026) Telomere-to-telomere genome assembly and comprehensive mutation library facilitate bitter gourd breeding and functional genomics research, Plant Communications, 7, 101779, DOI: 10.1016/j.xplc.2026.101779

Taohong Fang†, Shixiang Duan†, Yudong Sun, Xiao Chu, Xingping Zhang*, Yun Deng* (2026) An intronic SNP in candidate gene ClALB3 is associated with light green coloration in watermelon, Scientia Horticulturae Volume 358, 15 February 2026, 114697 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2026.114697

Danna Yu †, Zhiqiang Meng †, Fanhui Kong, Ning Gao, Kanglong Liu, Yun Deng, Li Zong, Xingping Zhang * and Zhiguo Han * (2025) Increasing γ-Aminobutyric Acid Content in Dwarf Cherry Tomato Using CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Gene Editing, Horticulturae, 11(12), 1423; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11121423

Yao Tian†, Kui Li†, Tonghui Li, Wudi Gai†, Jie Zhou, Xing Wang Deng, Yan Xue, Yun Deng*, Hang He* and Xingping Zhang* (2025) The near-complete genome assembly of pickling cucumber and its mutation library illuminate cucumber functional genomics and genetic improvement, Molecular Plant, April 7; 18: 551–554, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molp.2025.03.001

Yilin Zhang†, Mingxia Zhao†, Jingsheng Tan†, Minghan Huang†, Xiao Chu, Yan Li, Xue Han, Taohong Fang, Yao Tian, Robert Jarret, Dongdong Lu, Yijun Chen, Lifang Xue, Xiaoni Li, Guochen Qin, Bosheng Li, Yudong Sun, Xing Wang Deng, Yun Deng*, Xingping Zhang* and Hang He*, Telomere-to-telomere Citrullus Super-pangenome Provides Direction for Watermelon Breeding, Nature Genetics, 2024 Aug;56(8):1750-1761. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-024-01823-6.

Weikai Chen†, Xiangfeng Wang†, Zhangsheng Zhu†, JieSun†,XinruiWang†, Dilay Hazal Ayhan, ShuYi, MingYan, Lili Zhang, Tan Meng,YuMu, Jun Li, Dian Meng, Jianxin Bian, Ke Wang, Lu Wang, Shaoying Chen, Ruidong Chen, Jingyun Jin, Bosheng Li, Xingping Zhang, XingWang Deng, Hang He*, Li Guo* (2024) Two telomere-to-telomere gapless genomes reveal insights into Capsicum evolution and capsaicinoid biosynthesis, Nat Commun. 15: 4295. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-48643-0

Yun Deng, Xin Liu, Shoucheng Liu, Xiaoni Li, Lifang Xue, Tian Bai, Binghua Xu, Guoqing Li, Yudong Sun, Xingping Zhang*, Fine mapping of ClLOX, a QTL for powdery mildew resistance in watermelon (Citrullus lanatus L.), Theoretical and Applied Genetics (2024) 137:51 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00122-023-04520-w

Pingli Yuan†, Congping Xu†, Nan He†, Xuqiang Lu, Xingping Zhang, Jianli Shang, Hongju Zhu, Chengsheng Gong, Hanhui Kaung, Tang Tang, Yong Xu, Shuangwu Ma, Dexi Sun, Weiqin Zhang, Muhammad J. Umar, Jian Shi, Alisdair R. Fernie, Wenge Liu* & Jie Luo (2022) Watermelon domestication was shaped by stepwise selection and regulation of the metabolome. Science China-Life Sciences, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11427-022-2198-5.

Yun Deng, Shoucheng Liu, Yilin Zhang, Jingsheng Tan, Xiaopeng Li, Xiao Chu, Binghua Xu, Yao Tian, Yudong Sun, Bosheng Li, Yunbi Xu, Xing Wang Deng, Hang He*, Xingping Zhang* (2022) A telomere-to-telomere gap-free reference genome of watermelon and its mutation library provide important resources for gene discovery and breeding. Molecular Plant, Aug 1;15(8):1268-1284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molp.2022.06.010.

Yunbi Xu*, Xingping Zhang, Huihui Li, Hongjian Zheng, Jianan Zhang, Michael S Olsen, Rajeev K Varshney, Boddupalli M Prasanna, Qian Qian (2022) Smart breeding driven by big data, artificial intelligence, and integrated genomic-enviromic prediction. Molecular Plant, 2022 Nov 7;15(11):1664-1695. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molp.2022.09.001.

ZHANG Xingping, QIAN Qian, ZHANG JiaNan, DENG XingWang, WAN JianMin, XU Yunbi* (2021) Transforming and Upgrading Off-Season Breeding in Hainan Through Molecular Plant Breeding. Scientia Agricultura Sinica, 54(18):3789-3804. https://doi.org /10.3864/j.issn.0578-1752.2021.18.001

Lv J, Yu K, Wei J, Gui H, Liu C, Liang D, Wang Y, Zhou H, Carlin R, Rich R, Lu T, Que Q, Wang W, Zhang X and Kelliher T. (2020) Generation of paternal haploids in wheat by genome editing of the centromeric histone CENH3. Nature Biotechnology, 2020 Dec; 38(12):1397-1401. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-020-0728.

Guo S, Zhao S, Sun H, Wang X, Wu S, Lin T, Ren Y, Gao L, Deng Y, Zhang J, Lu X, Zhang H, Shang J, Gong G, Wen C, He N, Tian S, Li M, Liu J, Wang Y, Zhu Y, Jarret R, Levi A, Zhang X, Huang S, Fei Z, Liu W, Xu Y. (2019) Resequencing of 414 cultivated and wild watermelon accessions identifies selection for fruit quality traits. Nature Genetics, 2019 Nov; 51(11):1616-1623. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-019-0518-4.

Wu S, Wang X, Reddy U, Sun H, Bao K, Gao L, Mao L, Patel T, Ortiz C, Abburi VL, Nimmakayala P, Branham SE, Wechter P, Massey L, Ling K-S, Kousik C, Hammar SA, Tadmor Y, Portnoy V, Gur A, Katzir N, Nihat G, Davis A, Ha G, Wright CL, Mcgregor C, Jarret R, Zhang X, Xu Y, Wehner TC, Grummet R, Levi A, Fei Z. (2019) Genome of ‘Charleston Gray’, the principal American watermelon cultivar, and genetic characterization of accessions in the US National Plant Germplasm System watermelon collection. Plant Biotechnology J, 2019 Dec; 17(12):2246-2258. https://doi.org/10.1111/pbi.13136.

Patents

US PVP

2000, “90-4194” (US PVP No. 200100260)

2003, “SP-1” （US PVP No. 200300006）

2005, “90-4262” (US PVP No. 200600019)

2006, “SP-4” （US PVP No. 200700023）

2007, “4XMSAS” (US PVP No. 200800012)

2007, “4XHDML6” (US PVP No. 200800025)

2007, “90-4343ts” (US PVP No. 200800033)

2009, “SP-5” （US PVP No. 201000008

2009, “4XASSS4” (US PVP No. 201000270)

2009, “4XCS34” (US PVP No. 201000271

2009, “Fascination” (US PVP No. 201100269)

CHINA PVP

2019， “Sumeng 2” （China PVP No. 2019014159）

2019， “Sumeng 6” （China PVP No. 2019014164）

2019， “Sumeng 7” （China PVP No. 2019014160）

2019， “Sumeng 9” （China PVP No. 2020015071）

Honors & Awards

Lifetime Achievement Award - Cucurbitaceae 2018

Syngenta Science and Technology Award, 2003

National Science and Technology Progress Award (Second Prize), 2001

China Patent Invention Award (Gold Prize), 1997

Representative Varieties

XiNong 8: A widely cultivated open-field variety in China since 1991, significantly impacting Chinese agriculture.

PureHeart™ Series: Mini seedless watermelon series commercially successful across multiple countries since 2001.

Super Pollenizer SP-1 and Improved Varieties: Developed in 2003, SP-1 revolutionized seedless watermelon production by enhancing pollination efficiency, with subsequent improved varieties further boosting production effectiveness.

Seeded Watermelon Manchester: Developed in 2008, a high-quality, robust seeded variety that has become a benchmark in regions such as Brazil, Africa, and the Middle East.

Seedless Watermelon Fascination: Developed in 2009, reshaped the North American seedless watermelon market and had a global influence.

Fresh-cut Seedless Watermelon Crisp Delight: Introduced in 2010, a super-firm, high-quality seedless variety with resistance to Fusarium wilt and anthracnose, ideal for fresh-cut processing.

Social Services

Cucurbit Crop Germplasm Committee Member, USDA: Engaged in project reviews and research recommendations for cucurbit crop genetics.

Keynote Speaker at the 3rd International Symposium on Cucurbits, ISHS, presenting on "Genetic Improvement of Watermelon in the United States" (May 2005, Townsville, Australia).

Scientific Committee Member at Cucurbitaceae 2006 (September 2006, Asheville, NC, USA).

Scientific Committee Chair at the 4th International Symposium on Cucurbits, ISHS (September 2009, Changsha, China).

Scientific Committee Member at Cucurbitaceae 2010 (November 2010, Charleston, SC, USA).

Keynote Speaker and Scientific Committee Member at Eucarpia Cucurbitaceae 2012 (October 2012, Antalya, Turkey).

Keynote Speaker and Scientific Committee Member at Cucurbitaceae 2022 (October 30 – November 2, 2022, Naples, FL, USA).

Keynote Speaker and Scientific Committee Member at the VII International Symposium on Cucurbits, ISHS (June 2023, Zhengzhou, Henan, China).