The soilborne disease research group was established in 1953, which is one of the initiators and host units of the National Cotton Fusarium and Verticillium Wilt Collaborative Group. In 1985, the Ministry of Agriculture approved the establishment of the Plant Soilborne Disease Research Laboratory, which is now affiliated to the State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology for Arid Areas, focusing on the occurrence rule, pathogenic mechanism, epidemic transmission, and green control of crop verticillium wilt.

    The group undertaken more than 30 projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Agricultural public welfare industry research, EU international cooperation projects, and Shaanxi Provincial Natural Science Foundation. We completed the NSFC project "Study on the Mechanism of Cotton Disease Inhibition Soil" and "Research on the Molecular Regulation Mechanism of Verticillium Dahliae Microsclerotia Germination". We proposed the root exudates of the cotton is the main reason for the formation of verticillium wilt-suppressing soil. Through the functional analysis of the key genes in the process of microsclerotia germination and dormancy, the essential signaling pathways and gene regulation mechanisms that regulate the germination and dormancy of microsclerotia are clarified. We have cultivated "Xinong Zhongsan" cotton varieties with resistance to verticillium wilt. The research results have won the 1 National Science Conference Award, second-class Prize of the Ministry of Agriculture's scientific and technological progress, the first prize-class Prize of Henan Province's scientific and technological progress, and second-class Prize of Shaanxi Province’s scientific and technological achievements. As the Editor-in-chief, we completed the monograph "cotton fusarium wilt and verticillium wilt".

    At present, we are undertaking the National Key Research and Development Program of China "Research on the Genetic Variation Mechanism and Prevention and Control Technology of Verticillium wilt populations", and participates in the "Global Verticilli-Omics Genome Analysis Project (Verticilli-Omics)" as the core team. Relevant research has published more than 100 research papers in journals such as Annual Review of Phytopathology, Molecular Plant Pathology, Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions, Phytopathology, and Acta Phytopathology.