For five years, a team of students from Dalian Minzu University has braved snowstorms, icy roads and high altitudes to turn hardy sea buckthorn into a tool for greening the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Sea buckthorn is a nutrient-dense deciduous shrub known for its bright orange berries, which are highly valued as a super fruit and for medicinal uses. Dubbed the "task force of gold sea buckthorn enriching people", the team has surveyed, propagated and promoted the shrub across the plateau, offering what it calls the "sea buckthorn solution" for restoring ecosystems in elevated ecologically fragile areas.

Team member Gao Wenyu has set his sights on a personal mission: to become a forest cultivation engineer rooted in the very land he has surveyed since his first year in college.

Gao, currently pursuing a master's degree, has led the team to collect 169 germplasm samples in the Xizang autonomous region, with two superior local varieties screened and three high-yield elite strains introduced from elsewhere.

The team has also cracked the challenge of softwood cutting at high altitudes, propagating over 200,000 quality seedlings. In Nyingchi prefecture, a germplasm nursery and a demonstration base for elite varieties were established. The plateau's harshness is no abstraction. "One moment it's blazing sunshine, the next moment heavy snow blocks the road," Gao said.

When survey vehicles became stranded, the team walked to finish sampling.

During the rainy season, days of downpour threatened to wash away the plastic sheeting of its experimental greenhouse, so team members took turns draining water.

Behind the team stands professor Ruan Chengjiang, a 20-year veteran of sea buckthorn research. He has led five national natural science foundation projects, assembled the first complete high-quality genome of the plant and bred four new superior varieties. His technical system — trait analysis, breeding breakthroughs, variety cultivation, high-yield patenting and standardization — has contributed much to China's sea buckthorn industry.

Ruan said the team will continue to promote the selected sea buckthorn varieties across Xizang and beyond, bringing wealth to local people while safeguarding lucid waters and lush mountains.

The current task force includes five other graduate students. Their meticulous work spans site selection, data analysis, pest control and pruning. "Professor Ruan demands precision because every trait is crucial for breeding," Gao said.

Last year, the team won a national second prize at the rural vitalization volunteer service skills competition for its project on sea buckthorn germplasm exploration and multi-dimensional breeding. "Our focus has always been on improving the local environment and economy. Using our professional strengths to contribute to the region gives us a sense of purpose and confidence," Gao said.

From snowstorms and sleepless nights in the field to long hours in campus labs, the team has rooted its research in the land. "Every member of our team hopes to write their thesis on the snow-covered plateau," Gao said. "After graduation, I want to become a forest cultivation engineer."

Tian Xinxin and Chen Yitong contributed to this story.

zhangxiaomin@chinadaily.com.cn