Around 1940 he became interested in plant physiology, especially the movement of water through the vessels.
Lo was a main founder of modern plant physiology in China.
He was also involved in teaching bacteriology and plant physiology.
Former students said that his lectures, in "advanced plant physiology" were the high point of their education.
In the study of plant physiology, plants are understood to have mechanisms by which they recognize environmental changes.
He also did important studies in the fields of plant physiology and phytogeography.
In 1887, he authored the first Russian textbook on plant physiology.
In the 1860s he studied plant physiology in several different aspects.
Eventually he received a bachelor's and later a master's degree in plant physiology from Cornell.
This period was key to his lifelong devotion to scientific study of plant physiology and agriculture.