On July 18, 2024, Dr. Rolf Eugen Härdter, Senior advisor for crop nutrition at K+S Minerals and Agriculture GmbH, visited International Magnesium Institute (IMI) of Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University. During his visit, Dr. Härdter delivered an informative academic report titled "Magnesium Advisory - Lessons learned" to the faculty and students of IMI. In his report, Dr. Härdter emphasized the important role of magnesium in crop nutritional balance, which is often overlooked or even underestimated. He highlighted the causes of this phenomenon and summarized the unique properties of magnesium and its significance in agriculture. The IMI teachers and graduate students had a warm academic exchange and discussion with Dr. Härdter and gained valuable insights from the discussion.

To welcome Dr. Härdter, IMI teachers and students made meticulous preparations. From July 18 to 23, seven teachers, including Wu Liangquan, Yang Wenhao, Su Da, Guo Jiuxin, Zheng Chaoyuan, Guo Lijin and Ye Delian, led their team of graduate students to introduce their works in detail and had in-depth discussions with Dr. Härdter. The students showed their IMI’s research findings, received academic guidance from Dr. Härdter, and improved their English listening, speaking and communication skills.

on July 24th, following the academic exchange in Fuzhou, Dr. Guo Lijin led Dr. Härdter and his team to visit the Anxi Minnan Oolong Tea Science and Technology Backyard (STB). They explored the living environment and experiment base of the backyard, learned about the graduate students experiment content, and visited Fujian Anxi Tiekuanyin Group Co., LTD with the STB members. Their visit included the intangible cultural heritage project of Tieguanyin Group, the first floor of the creative hall of Tieguanyin Company, the second floor of the factory history hall, the old tea warehouse, the old industrial assembly line, and the national engineering center and other areas. Through the visit, Dr. Härdter gained a deeper understanding of the Anxi Minnan Oolong Tea STB and the collaborative efforts between STB and enterprises in scientific and technological innovation.

Dr. Härdter's visit not only strengthen the cooperation between IMI and the K+S Minerals and Agriculture GmbH, but also provided a valuable opportunity for IMI teachers and students to learn and exchange, thereby promoting the further development of IMI’s research.