Helping farmers build greenhouses to become doctors for vegetables (telling a lifetime story) Ulanqab | Guan Huiming | Greenhouses for vegetables

In 1996, Guan Huiming conducted a fertilization experiment in a greenhouse in Luojia Village, Jining District, Ulanqab City.

Respondents provide pictures

Guan Huiming provides technical guidance to farmers in the greenhouse.

Photo by our reporter Zhang Xi

Biographies of Characters

Guan Huiming, born in February 1962, is from Alshan City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. He started working in August 1985 and is currently a second level promotion researcher at the Science and Technology Development Center in Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia. For 38 years, he has been engaged in the research and promotion of new agricultural technologies, including domestication of vegetable varieties, green prevention and control of diseases and pests, new vegetable cultivation technologies, and experimental demonstration and promotion of new agricultural equipment. He was honored as a national exemplary individual and a national outstanding special commissioner for science and technology.

"Hello farmer friend, now we are in a farmer's greenhouse in Chayouqian Banner, Ulanqab City. You can see that the cucumber leaves in the greenhouse are wilting. This is because the farmer has applied too much fertilizer and has not undergone fermentation. When encountering high temperature fermentation, it can cause ammonia poisoning in the crops..."

In the short video, Guan Huiming, with gray hair, enthusiastically answers various technical problems for farmers.

"First, water with small water to prevent concentrated fermentation of farmyard manure, then strengthen ventilation, and supplement glucose and calcium fertilizer on the leaves. This way, after three or four days, there is a chance to cure it..." Guan Huiming provided his solution in a short video.

Although he is over sixty years old, as a second level promotion researcher at the Science and Technology Development Center in Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia, Guan Huiming goes to nearby villages whenever he has time to solve agricultural technology problems for local farmers. He also keeps up with the trend, making short videos of every problem he encounters, so that more farmers can learn agricultural technology knowledge.

"I once said that to serve farmers for a lifetime, as long as I can still do it, I will keep my promise!" said Guan Huiming.

Traveling around various banners, counties, and districts, teaching farmers scientific planting

Guan Huiming was born in 1962 in the deep part of the Greater Khingan Mountains in Alshan City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. In 1980, he was admitted to the Vegetable Department of Inner Mongolia Agriculture and Animal Husbandry College. "In the last two years of my time at school, my teacher asked me to manage a 15 acre experimental field. Apart from attending classes, I spent most of my food and accommodation in the field. This experience taught me a lot and also sparked my strong interest in vegetable cultivation," said Guan Huiming.

In 1985, Guan Huiming was assigned to work in agricultural technology services in Ulanqab. At that time, the funds were not sufficient, and he often went to the countryside to provide services at his own expense. Over the years, he traveled throughout Ulanqab and surrounding counties and districts.

In the early 1990s, in Gaojiashan Village, Yangjiayao Township, Qingshuihe County, Guan Huiming taught local farmers to use techniques such as high-yield ditches and dry land mulching to plant potatoes and corn, which lasted for most of the year. During the autumn harvest, he participated in guiding the production of over 6000 kilograms per mu of high-yield ditch potatoes on over 100 acres, and over 1400 kilograms per mu of mulched corn on over 200 acres of dry land. "I didn't expect the yield to be so high. Scientific farming has broadened our horizons," sighed a villager.

In 1995, a farmer in the suburbs of Jining District found Guan Huiming, hoping to learn greenhouse planting. So he lived and ate with the villagers for three years. "The villagers' income is getting higher and higher. Many villagers have bought tricycles, and more than half of them have built new houses. They feel that their efforts are worth it," said Guan Huiming.

Guan Huiming is also constantly developing new technologies while helping farmers. For example, he developed a 46 degree angle design for the front roof of a greenhouse, which increased the temperature inside by 10 degrees Celsius, enabling the greenhouse to cultivate various vegetables in winter even without heating up.

"When I was young, I learned technology from Teacher Guan. Over 30 years have passed, and now, no matter what difficulties we encounter, Teacher Guan still comes to help us solve them," said Chang Jianxin, a villager in Bawanghe Village, Jining District, who is in his 50s.

Guan Huiming and the farmers established a deep relationship: "I am studying vegetables and working in the vegetable industry, which requires me to go to the front line of agricultural production. Whatever farmers need to grow vegetables, I will serve them!"

Developing ecological agents to help farmers prevent and control diseases and pests for free

Many of the difficulties encountered by Guan Huiming could not be solved under the technological conditions at that time. In the early 1990s, Guan Huiming discovered some unseen yellow small flies that lurked in the mesophyll of crops and were extremely difficult to control. After searching for information, it was found that this is a new invasive species - the spotted miner, but there were no effective control methods in China at that time.

Guan Huiming went to Beijing and other places at his own expense to purchase books, materials, and experimental materials. He built a small laboratory in his home, which only covers an area of 25 square meters. Tables, floors, and windowsills were filled with various experimental supplies. "During the day, investigate the occurrence of diseases and pests in the field, go home at night to study solutions, and go to the field the next day to verify," said Guan Huiming.

In 1997, Guan Huiming developed a carbon dioxide generator that can promote photosynthesis of vegetables in greenhouses. Subsequently, he reinvested all 750000 yuan of the patent reward into scientific research. In the end, he developed an ecological preparation and insecticidal method for the spot miner, and obtained patent certification.

In 2000, the yellow melon seedlings in nearly a thousand greenhouses in the suburbs of Jining District suddenly wilted and turned yellow. Upon hearing about this, Guan Huiming immediately went to the scene to inspect and ultimately determined that it was an outbreak of the spotted fly pest.

"Teacher Guan organized scientific and technological personnel to process over 800 ecological preparations overnight and distributed them to everyone for free the next day. Within a week, the yellow melon seedlings regained their vitality, and Teacher Guan saved the entire village's seedlings!" said Chang Jianxin.

In 2003, Guan Huiming was selected as one of the first batch of science and technology envoys in China, and began to form his own research team. Every year, Guan Huiming's team organizes the rescue of over 100000 acres of land that has been reduced in yield due to natural disasters and pests.

"Not long ago, farmers growing greenhouse tomatoes in Ansai, Yan'an sought help from me through the internet. I found through the video that the local area was affected by the white planthopper and tomato leafminer, so I sent them corresponding preparations for free. Now, Guan Huiming often helps farmers solve problems online.". He also organized more than 50 science and technology envoys from Ulanqab City to establish the Science and Technology Ambassador Entrepreneurship Federation, with an annual promotion area of 150000 acres of new intellectual property technologies covering 13 provinces.

From 20000 mu to 500000 mu, driving the development of the cold vegetable industry in Ulanqab

In long-term exploration and research, Guan Huiming found that Ulanqab's high altitude, high latitude, and cold climate are very suitable for planting vegetables such as cabbage, onions, carrots, and broccoli in summer. "Ulanqab has a brief cool summer with a large temperature difference between day and night, which may be a disadvantage for traditional agricultural production. However, it is suitable for planting vegetables that prefer cold and grow at temperatures ranging from 17 to 25 degrees Celsius." Guan Huiming said that vegetables from cold regions can also be listed in different seasons compared to vegetables from the south, with obvious market advantages.

So, he took the lead in introducing new varieties of yellow skinned onions in Ulanqab, exploring a suitable cultivation technique for the local area, and introducing cabbage, honeydew, and other crops from other places to promote throughout the city.

In 2008, Guan Huiming proposed the suggestion of "developing cold resources and cold vegetables", which received support from industry experts. He also contacted Fang Zhiyuan, an expert in vegetable genetics and breeding and an academician of the CAE Member, and invited him to research, develop and promote new varieties and technologies of cold vegetables in Ulanqab. In 2012, Ulanqab City established the Cold Vegetable Academician Workstation.

"The cultivation cycle of new varieties is long, difficult, and has a high failure rate. Taking the domestication of cabbage as an example, the team of Academician Fang spent seven to eight years from screening to cultivation, and then we went to the countryside to plant, allowing farmers to see the results." Guan Huiming said. Under the leadership of Academician Fang Zhiyuan, the team overcame various difficulties and made efforts to cultivate cold and cool vegetable varieties with higher yield, better quality, insect resistance, and drought resistance, accelerating the pace of realizing the localization of high-quality cold vegetable varieties.

"Previously, importing cold vegetable seeds cost an average of 700-800 yuan per acre of land. Now, we have our own seeds, such as the 'Zhonggan 628' of cabbage, which costs only 75 yuan per acre and earns at least 3000 yuan per acre. Currently, the localization rate of cabbage seeds in China has exceeded 80%." Guan Huiming said that in the next step, the workstation will continue to cultivate good varieties of carrots and broccoli, striving to achieve localization within 3-5 years.

Guan Huiming and his team are also actively developing standardized cultivation techniques for cold vegetables. "When to sow and plant seedlings, when to prevent insects and diseases, how much fertilizer to use, and how to use it, are free to promote." Guan Huiming said that workstations have also been established in Yunnan and other places, and as long as he has time, he will go to various places to guide farmers.

Nowadays, Guan Huiming has driven the development of cold vegetables in Ulanqab from 20000 mu to 500000 mu, and cold vegetables have been promoted for cultivation in multiple regions. "I have been in the farmland all my life, and my skills come from working together with the farmers. I will persevere!" said Guan Huiming.

Enable farmers to learn and use it effectively

During the 38 years when Guan Huiming rooted himself at the grassroots level in rural areas, he always carried the original intention of enriching the people through technology and the perseverance of assisting farmers through technology, trekking in the fields and wholeheartedly serving the farmers. He keeps the urgent needs and anxieties of farmers in mind, strives to develop new technologies, and explores the path to prosperity in the vegetable industry.

For the past 38 years, Guan Huiming has summarized his experience in production practice, fearless of difficulties, and written his papers in the fields, focusing on researching the localization of high-quality vegetable varieties, green pest and disease prevention and control, and new vegetable cultivation technologies. He moved the laboratory to agricultural production sites, accelerated the transformation and application of agricultural scientific and technological achievements, promoted the landing and rooting of new varieties and agricultural techniques, and enabled farmers to learn and use them, bridging the "last mile" of agricultural scientific and technological innovation.

Currently, in the context of comprehensively promoting rural revitalization, a large number of outstanding agricultural technicians like Guan Huiming who understand agriculture, love rural areas, and farmers are dedicating themselves to agricultural production practice, providing technical support for the modernization of agricultural science and technology in China, and will inevitably lead more farmers to ride the technological fast train of increasing income and becoming rich.