Yielding over 500 kilograms per mu... Water saving and drought resistant rice "August Japonica" blooms in Pujiang Town, Minhang, with a growth period of over 3 months. Minhang District | Rice | Minhang
On the morning of August 18th, at the water-saving and drought resistant rice demonstration base in Pujiang Town, Minhang District, harvesters shuttle back and forth in the golden rice fields, creating a scene of abundant harvest. On that day, the water-saving and drought resistant rice "August Japonica", which was first tested in Minhang by a team led by Luo Lijun, the chief scientist of the Shanghai Agricultural Biotechnology Gene Center, officially began harvesting, about three months earlier than the usual rice harvest time on the market.
According to Yu Xinqiao, a researcher at the Shanghai Agricultural Biotechnology Gene Center, unlike the traditional characteristics of long growth period, long land occupation time, and high production cost of rice in Shanghai, the "August Japonica" rice has a growth period of only over three months, and the yield can reach over 500 kilograms per acre. Although the reproductive period is short, the quality of the rice remains the same, making it soft, sticky, and fragrant. The taste value can reach 82 points.
![Yielding over 500 kilograms per mu... Water saving and drought resistant rice "August Japonica" blooms in Pujiang Town, Minhang, with a growth period of over 3 months. Minhang District | Rice | Minhang](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/135114c70a3ea25af0c3174b9e9e2bb4.jpg)
The reporter learned that this land for planting water-saving and drought resistant rice is a reclaimed farmland. Previously, it was reclaimed by villagers, and compared to conventional rice planting plots, the basic conditions such as ditch irrigation, land characteristics, and soil quality are relatively poor. In order to experiment with water-saving and drought resistant rice, Pujiang Town equipped the fields with simple irrigation facilities such as water pumps, and re leveled the land. Practice has shown that under normal planting conditions, the early maturing variety of "August Japonica" has shown better planting results than expected.
Traditional rice cultivation often requires the retention of open drainage channels and ridges around the farmland, which account for over 7.5% of the farmland area and have disadvantages in terms of farmland utilization efficiency. "Different from traditional rice cultivation methods, planting water-saving and drought resistant rice does not require trenching, simple management, improves farmland utilization, and can effectively utilize precipitation. Under sufficient rainfall conditions, there is almost no need for additional manual irrigation, making it particularly suitable for cultivating land." Guo Jie, the head of Shanghaigujie Grain Professional Cooperative, introduced.
![Yielding over 500 kilograms per mu... Water saving and drought resistant rice "August Japonica" blooms in Pujiang Town, Minhang, with a growth period of over 3 months. Minhang District | Rice | Minhang](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/dac65d2982c9af68564864a9dece8c06.jpg)
After the harvest of "August Japonica" was completed, the Municipal Gene Center and the Minhang District Agriculture and Rural Committee also signed a cooperation framework agreement. Luo Lijun, the chief scientist of the Municipal Gene Center, was hired as the technical consultant for the development of the rice industry in Minhang District.
Raleijun introduced on site that after the sickle planting, another batch of regenerated rice can be harvested, and fresh corn, lettuce, or rapeseed can be planted as a crop. This not only improves economic benefits but also brings more possibilities to urban agriculture. This water-saving and drought resistant rice "rice+" industry development model can optimize the planting structure of rice fields, achieve the green agricultural production goals of "resource conservation, environmental friendliness, increased farmland value, and increased income for farmers", and provide richer experience for the high-quality development of urban agriculture.
![Yielding over 500 kilograms per mu... Water saving and drought resistant rice "August Japonica" blooms in Pujiang Town, Minhang, with a growth period of over 3 months. Minhang District | Rice | Minhang](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/526ef690890717249d0a66522efcf292.jpg)
The relevant person in charge of the Minhang District Agriculture and Rural Committee stated that developing water-saving and drought resistant rice will be an important part of the transformation and development of Minhang's agriculture, whether it is in completing the basic task of grain production, developing green, ecological, and water-saving agriculture, and improving the technological content of agricultural seed sources. In the future, Minhang Agriculture will further focus on water-saving and drought resistant rice. On the basis of planting and selling well, it will actively explore the combination with the construction of rural revitalization demonstration villages, guide the development of emerging rice industries in areas such as Pujiang and Maqiao, and enable good varieties to play a greater role in the land of Minhang.