Amidst the vast Gobi Desert, the fragrance of fruits and melons wafts, relying on technology teachers | greenhouses | technology

On this vast land 40

In midsummer, at the northern foot of the Qilian Mountains, on the southern edge of the Badain Jilin Desert. The Gobi scorching wind, accompanied by long yellow sand, makes people unable to open their eyes and makes their throats smoke.

"More than 20 years ago, when I first came to Jiuquan, Gansu, the summer in the Gobi Desert was also so scorching," said Jiang Weijie, a researcher at the Vegetable and Flower Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, to reporters.

"Look at this flat beach, how many greenhouses can be built and how many fruits can grow!" Unlike more than 20 years ago, his lament has now become a reality - on the vast wasteland, rows of nearly 100 meters long semi transparent greenhouse greenhouses shimmer with a faint water blue in the scorching sun. This is the largest ecological agriculture demonstration zone in the Gobi Desert in China.

"Yo, Teacher Jiang is here!" A dark smile appeared at the entrance of a greenhouse nearby, speaking to Fan Lide, a plantation tycoon in Zongzhai Town, Suzhou District, Jiuquan City.

As soon as I entered the greenhouse, I was enveloped in warm water vapor. Rows of tomatoes had grown to the size of a fist, squeezing and pressing against the branches, bright red and heavy, as if unable to wait to jump down.

"In the shed over there, my small hanging watermelons, figs, and grapes are also growing well." Fan Lide couldn't help but mutter about the treasures in his own shed, "The method taught by Teacher Jiang is really effective. If we close the greenhouse, the Gobi Desert will become a big orchard!"

For thousands of years, the Hexi Corridor has been a place where the wind blows stones and there is no grass growing everywhere! What clever trick did Teacher Jiang use?

"Do you smell any earthy smell here?" Jiang Weijie led the reporter to another greenhouse.

It's really true that the shed is moist and fresh without any unfashionable smell. "To engage in cultivation, soil, water, and sunlight are essential. This place is full of sand and stones, where can soil be used? So, 20 years ago, we made up our mind that cultivation here does not require soil!" explained Jiang Weijie.

"No need for soil, what should we use?"

"Here, it's a substrate made from locally sourced materials." He pushed aside the plastic film at the roots of the tomatoes, revealing the brown and white fragments on one side, which replaced the soil and became the source of nutrients for vegetables and fruits. "Rotten vegetable leaves, straw, mushroom residue, useless slag, as well as cow manure and pig manure... as long as they are scientifically mixed and fermented, the effect is better than that of soil!" Jiang Weijie was very proud. "Internationally, soilless cultivation generally uses nutrient solutions, but the cost is high and management is cumbersome. When used on this Gobi Desert, it is not grounded. How could growers buy it?"

Water is also crucial for growing vegetables in the Gobi desert. Where does water come from when the weather is dry and there is little rain? Journalist's question.

Jiang Weijie pointed his hand towards the distance and said, "Look, it's over there!" Following his finger, he saw the snow covered Qilian Mountains stretching far away. "Jiuquan is dry in the sky and not in the earth. Like the crops in the fields here, vegetables and fruits also drink glacial meltwater. However, they only drink 'drip'."

By constructing water channels and pipelines, and then laying drip and sprinkler irrigation pipelines under the membrane, the nearby glacier meltwater is transported to the greenhouse park, where it is fed to the roots of plants one by one, one by one.

"How much water can be saved?"

"Planting tomatoes saves nearly 40% of the water per acre compared to the field, and the yield is several times higher!" Jiang Weijie was extremely proud.

To earn money through Gobi agriculture, solving the problems of water and soil alone is not enough.

"Planting greenhouses is much more refined than ordinary fields, and labor costs a lot. We need to come up with new ideas from a technological perspective." Jiang Weijie said that they have customized a set of integrated water and fertilizer equipment for greenhouses. While dripping water, they also feed liquid fertilizer into the plants' mouths, saving the trouble of manual fertilization.

The reporter saw that there is a sensor system in the center of each greenhouse. Farmers only need to open their mobile app to view the temperature, carbon dioxide concentration, and water and fertilizer supply data inside the greenhouse; By clicking on the screen, the crops can be automatically air-conditioned or heated; The top of the greenhouse is equipped with ozone sterilization equipment, and the pollination of fruits and melons inside the greenhouse relies on specially released bumblebees as a medium, while pests such as red spiders rely on scientific researchers to "deal with" aphids, wasps, and other pests

"Greenhouse planting was originally a troublesome job, but with the use of this high-tech and hiring some workers, I started working on 40 greenhouses with two crops of fruits in winter and summer every year!" Fan Lide said with a hint of pride.

"What is the income like?"

"To be honest, a net profit of six to seven hundred thousand yuan per year," Fan Lide chuckled. "Many people in the town have followed me to establish agricultural cooperatives, and now they all enjoy 'melon and fruit rice'."

It is understood that as of the end of 2022, Jiuquan City has started construction of 122 ecological agriculture industrial parks and demonstration points in the Gobi Desert, 12 parks per 10000 mu and 32 parks per 1000 mu. The ecological facility agriculture area of the Gobi Desert has reached 176000 mu - the former Silk Road town, which has sparked an unprecedented agricultural technology revolution in the Gobi Desert.