April 2, 2015
Vice Chancellor of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Professor Mohd Fauzi Hj Ramlan congratulates his former teacher Professor Chin for his 80th birthday
Few of us will ever be able to speak with as long a perspective on life as 80-year-old Professor Emeritus Chin Hoong Fong – and still attract a full house of enthusiastic listeners, as he did last week when the National Seed Association Malaysia honoured its founder’s birthday with a special Public Lecture.
Other than being a devoted and highly respected teacher in Malaysia, Professor Chin is also an internationally renowned seed scientist who pioneered storage of recalcitrant seeds in the 1970s. His history with Bioversity International goes back almost 30 years to the 1980s when he served two terms as member of the Board of Trustees of the then International Board on Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR). Ever since Bioversity International’s office in Malaysia opened its doors in 1997, Professor Chin has been an Honorary Research Fellow.
Professor Chin spoke to us about his lifelong love for seeds that continue to amaze and inspire him even after decades of work.
Q: What made you choose a career in agriculture when you began your studies in the 1950s?
Professor Chin Hoong Fong (CHF): I was brought up in an urban agriculture setting on a two-acre plot of land on Jalan Ampang Road in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. On our farm we had five to six different species of fruit trees, flowering plants and vegetables and my family reared chickens. Today, that site is less than five-minute drive from the Petronas Twin Towers. At school I joined the science society that added to my general interest in agriculture.
When I told my mother that I wanted to further my studies in agricultural sciences at the University of Melbourne in Australia, she was very surprised and disappointed and asked me whether I planned to grow applesunder Malaysia’s tropical climate. Nevertheless, she later gave me her support and I departed to pursue my education in Melbourne.
Q: What were some of the key issues in agriculture in Malaysia when you started your career at the College of Agriculture in Serdang in the 1960s?
CHF: First, there was shortage of trained personnel in agriculture, after the British officers left the then Malaya upon the country’s independence in 1957. The second issue was shortage of food to be a self-sufficient nation. Mixed farming of fruits, vegetables, rice and other food crops was encouraged to address food insecurity.
Left to right: Halim Hashim, former lecturer from UPM, Professor Chin shaking hands with Hashim Abd Wahab, Vice President of Malaysian Nature Society, Professor Uma Rani Sinniah, Chair of the National Seed Association
Q: How did you develop a love for seeds? What were some of the milestones or turning points along the way?
CHF: In seed sciences I was interested in seed storage. There was success in storing orthodox seeds - seeds which can survive drying and cold temperatures during ex situ conservation – but not recalcitrant seeds which lose their viability under such conditions. Many tropical species like fruit trees have recalcitrant seed that cannot be stored in seed banks unlike many crop seeds.
After my PhD thesis in plant embryo studies, I began to work on embryo storage in the 1970s. This became a turning point in seed technology – using embryos for seed storage with different techniques including cryopreservation [a process where cells are preserved by cooling to sub-zero temperatures in liquid nitrogen]. This was a fairly successful approach and opened up a new field in seed technology when others accepted this technique.
Q: We seldom stop to think about how fascinating seeds are as capsules of life. Can you tell us one fact about seeds that continues to amaze you, even after decades of working in this field?
CHF: I still wonder about the secrets and mysteries of how seeds survive for hundreds to thousands of years. The big question is: why are recalcitrant seeds behaving differently? Humans can land on the moon, yet we do not know how to store recalcitrant seeds. There is still no answer to that.
Q: During your career, you have trained more than 10,000 graduates at Universiti Putra Malaysia. What is your advice for students and young graduates for a fulfilling career?
CHF: Do what you like is the most important thing – this is the one time when you should not listen to your parents. Dare to dream and face challenges openly, venture into the unknown. One must be passionate and interested, and work hard. Don’t expect immediate rewards, be patient and persistent, never give up. It is ironic that I actually never applied for the lecturer’s job at the College of Agriculture, although I ended up working my entire life there. I was on my way to report to duty at the Department of Agriculture when they sent me to the College to start as a lecturer instead. But something made me accept the offer there and then, and I have not regretted that decision – I have enjoyed the opportunities to interact with the students and staff members and imparting both knowledge and skills – and my love for plants – to others.
Read more about Professor Chin’s fascinating life and work in the Commemorative book that marked his 50 years of service and contribution to agriculture in 2010.
Dr Chin Hoong Fong is an Honorary Research Fellow of Bioversity International and Professor Emeritus at the Department of Crop Science at the Universiti Putra Malaysia. He has served in many national and international committees including the Board of Trustees of the International Board of Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR), now Bioversity International (1987-1992), the Advisory Committee on Seed Storage, the Committee of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and chaired the Technical Committee on Seed Storage of International Seed Testing Association (ISTA). He was conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Agricultural Science by the University of Melbourne (1994), and appointed Foundation Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (1995). Professor Chin has authored, co-authored and edited 10 books which include Agricultural and Horticultural Seeds in Malaysia (1969), Seed Technology in the Tropics (1977) and Recalcitrant Crop Seeds (1980).
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