Pakistani student research on cucumber in China to benefit Pakistani farmers.

BEIJING -- Rahat Sharif, a Pakistani student doing research on cucumber in China's Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University (NWAFU) believed that his research would help Pakistani farmers in increase the production of cucumber.

"Our lab has developed several cucumber varieties and they were provided to local farmers in Shaanxi Province, which had successfully lifted some farmers out of poverty," he said.

Rahat Sharif, 28 years old, from Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has recently completed his MSc degree from NWAFU located in Shaanxi province.

"I started my research in 2017 in the lab of vegetable ecophysiology and biotechnology. We do research on

cucumber's production, quality and response to different environmental stresses. My research focused particularly on the role of HD-ZIP gene family in cucumber's growth and development under various abiotic and biotic stresses," he told China Economic Net (CEN).

"Our lab conducts research of developing cucumber resistance against powdery mildew. The applied research has not only improved the production of cucumber but also the livelihood of local farmers," he added.

In Rahat Sharif's opinion, "Further co-operation is required from Chinese biotech companies to boost the production capacity of cucumber and other vegetables in Pakistan."A

He called upon the Chinese researchers could come to Pakistan and make a field trip, adding, "They will be able to teach our students which seed to choose and how to cultivate based on different soils and climate, and tell the locals how to irrigate and use pesticides."

After studying at NWAFU for three...