Improving the Quality of Farmland and Creating Good Harvest Fields (Effectively Strengthening Farmland Protection)
Food security is the cornerstone of a country, and arable land is the lifeblood of food production. Strengthening the foundation of food security in all aspects is inseparable from the key variable of cultivated land quality. Various regions and relevant departments have adopted hard recruitment and practical recruitment to fully improve the quality of cultivated land.
Combining planting and breeding, implementing classified policies to promote steady improvement of soil fertility
In Bachatun, Shuowan Village, Yixu Town, Tiandong County, Guangxi, villager Lu Qinghuan walked into a rice field that had just been drained. "The soil has a dark color, and it feels a bit sticky when stepped on. It looks fertile at first glance," he said
After planting for many years, Lu Qinghuan found that the soil had become "greedy" in the past few years, with a lot of fertilizer applied, but the grain yield could not increase. Last year during the winter break, he followed the method taught by the agricultural technician to plant rapeseed flowers in the field. The tender vegetable hearts can be stir fried, and the roots and stems can be turned over and buried in the ground to make green manure. The average yield per mu of rice planted in early spring this year increased by 60 kilograms compared to last year.
Lin Shaoguang, Director of the Agricultural Technology Promotion Center in Tiandong County, introduced that in order to improve soil fertility and enhance comprehensive grain production capacity, the county has launched a pilot project of "rice rice fertilizer" rotation in double cropping rice growing areas. After harvesting late rice, crops such as green manure or rapeseed flowers are planted, and organic fertilizer is applied as the base fertilizer. Many farmers have reported that this crop rotation model has effectively improved soil quality, and the yield of early rice has increased compared to last year. This year, Tiandong County will also expand its pilot area.
According to a survey and evaluation by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, from 2014 to 2019, the fertility of cultivated land in China increased by 0.35 levels, but the quality of cultivated land in some regions deteriorated.
Red yellow soil is the main soil type in southern China, accounting for about one-third of the country's arable land area. Due to the relative lack of organic matter, the problem of acidification is more prominent. "Long term biased application of nitrogen fertilizer causes the accumulation of acidic substances in the soil, leading to farmland degradation and soil fertility decline," said Zhang Huimin, director of the Qiyang Red Soil Experimental Station of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
Since 2008, the Qiyang Red Soil Station of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences has proposed the combination of planting and nurturing land, and carried out targeted experiments to promote the use of green manure as a substitute for nitrogen fertilizer. Zhang Huimin introduced that leguminous green manure can fix nitrogen in the air, enrich deep soil nutrients through developed root systems, and improve soil active organic matter through humus formed after turning over. The experiment showed that through the efficient rotation of "rice rice purple cloud" for weight loss, the comprehensive index of soil fertility increased by 0.1-0.2 levels.
Improving the quality of cultivated land is a long-term process that requires targeted and long-term efforts. "The healthy cultivation layer is a key factor in improving the fertility of farmland." Li Rong, Deputy Director of the Farmland Quality Monitoring and Protection Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said that the construction of farmland quality should focus on reducing soil barrier factors, improving basic fertility, developing new varieties and their potential for increasing production, and efficiently utilizing water and fertilizer resources. Taking into account crop yield and environmental effects, it is necessary to improve soil storage and stable nutrient supply capacity.
In recent years, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has organized and implemented a national pilot project for the governance of degraded farmland, guiding various regions to continuously improve the quality of farmland. In the Northeast region, the national black soil protection project has been launched, and 100 million acres will be completed during the 14th Five Year Plan period. Last year, Zhejiang took the lead in implementing soil health actions. "By continuously exploring new models of 'one place, one policy' healthy soil management, we aim to improve the ability of healthy soil to supply fertilizers, sequester carbon, and reduce emissions." said Yu Yijun, the director of the Zhejiang Province Farmland Quality and Fertilizer Management Station.
Opening up the "last mile" of irrigation provides more confidence in agricultural production
"Thanks to the reconstruction of the canal last year, it has been well watered this summer, and one acre of spring corn can yield over 2000 kilograms, an increase of 500 kilograms from last year!" Yang Zhenwu, a villager from Cuiliyang Village, Lujing Town, Heyang County, Shaanxi Province, couldn't help but be excited.
The field channels in Cuiliyang Village are aging and in disrepair. In recent years, the Donglei Yellow River Irrigation District in Weinan City has opened up the "last mile" of farmland irrigation, increasing the annual irrigation water volume by more than 20 million cubic meters. More than 3000 farmers have bid farewell to the problem of watering the land.
Agricultural water conservancy still owes debts, and production conditions are gradually improving. At present, more than 6 million kilometers of various irrigation and drainage channels, over 10 million kilometers of field roads, and over 20 million small-scale agricultural water conservancy facilities have been built in high standard farmland nationwide.
Pengshan District, Meishan City, Sichuan Province has carried out high standard farmland construction according to local conditions, breaking through the bottleneck of cultivation in hilly areas and effectively improving cultivation efficiency. Entering Xinrong Village in Gongyi Town, the rice paddies were laid out layer by layer, and clusters of plump rice ears were sucked into the harvester. "The millet is in continuous high temperature during grouting. Thanks to the awesome of farmland irrigation facilities, this year's harvest is good." On the ridge, Wang Chenglin, a grain grower, is busy bagging and measuring the grain yield.
"Based on the characteristics of the terrain and topography, practicality and construction costs are comprehensively considered when constructing high standard farmland, and the wishes of farmers are respected." Xu Heping, Deputy Director of the Agricultural Construction Center of the Pengshan District Agriculture and Rural Bureau, introduced that terraced fields are built according to the local conditions to minimize the amount of earthwork movement, and bricks, stones, concrete, and soil compaction are used to protect the ridges. The irrigation design guarantee rate reaches 75%, and the accessibility rate of field roads exceeds 90%.
"The 'high' of high standard farmland is not only reflected in its appearance, but also in the improvement of farmland quality and the promotion of agricultural income. Xu Heping said that on the basis of leveling land and building roads and channels, this year Pengshan District will also build over a thousand acres of high standard farmland into a digital rice demonstration base. Through the integration of information technology and intelligent 'new infrastructure', the quality of farmland will be further improved.".
As of the end of 2022, a total of 1 billion mu of high standard farmland has been built nationwide, which can stably guarantee a grain production capacity of over 1 trillion catties. In terms of proportion, the area of high standard farmland that has been built accounts for about half of the total arable land. "About two-thirds of the remaining high standard farmland to be constructed is distributed in hilly and mountainous areas, mostly dry land, which is difficult to construct and costly," said Guo Yongtian, Director of the Farmland Construction Management Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
"In the future, ensuring that each person has 1 acre of high standard farmland will strengthen the foundation of food security." Guo Yongtian introduced that two pilot demonstrations are currently being planned. One is to screen eligible areas, accelerate the pilot construction of high standard farmland in the entire irrigation area, county, and city, and take the lead in achieving full coverage of permanent basic farmland. The second is to select provinces that meet the conditions in different types of high standard farmland construction areas such as Northeast China, Huanghuaihai, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and Southwest China, and plan to create higher-level modern demonstration models of good farmland, radiating and driving the upgrading of national high standard farmland construction.
Combining "planting according to land" and "planting according to land" to tap into the potential of saline alkali land management and development
In the 50000 acre experimental demonstration project area of "salt improvement, grass enhancement, and animal husbandry" in Wuyuan County, Inner Mongolia, various salt tolerant grasses sway in the wind.
Years of Yellow River irrigation have caused a large amount of salt retention, and saline alkali land once accounted for 53.4% of the cultivated land area in Wuyuan County. "We adhere to systematic thinking and improve soil through multiple approaches." Li Erzhen, director of the Modern Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Technology Promotion Center in Wuyuan County, introduced that the county cooperates with scientific research institutes and enterprises to use a combination of desulfurization gypsum, sand, organic fertilizer, amendments, and planting salt tolerant crops, and combines the use of "upper film and lower straw" and "hidden pipe salt discharge" technologies to promote desalination, block salt, regulate groundwater levels, and implement supporting projects such as irrigation and drainage and land leveling to ensure smooth drainage.
Liu Jianhua, a villager of Rongyi Village, said that after soil improvement, the yield of corn per mu has increased from 300 kilograms to over 600 kilograms. The village has also introduced leading enterprises to carry out chili pepper order cultivation, with an average net income of 3500 yuan per mu, and the cultivation efficiency has significantly improved.
After comprehensive improvement in the entire project area, 4500 acres of arable land have been added, and the seedling retention rates for mild, moderate, and severe saline alkali land have increased by 20%, 40%, and 60%, respectively. "Planting salt tolerant forage on improved medium to heavy saline alkali farmland can not only enhance soil fertility, but also provide more high-quality feed for the livestock industry," said Li Erzhen.
Saline alkali land is an important source of farmland for improving quality, expanding capacity, and increasing efficiency. Since 2020, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has carried out pilot projects for saline alkali cultivated land management in 8 provinces, with a total of 2.4 million mu implemented in 3 years. The average quality of cultivated land in the project area has improved by 0.11-0.51 levels, and the average soil salinity has decreased by about 2 ‰.
Expand agricultural production space, accelerate the exploration of the combination of "planting according to land" and "planting according to land" in various regions, and continuously tap into the potential of saline alkali land governance and development.
In Ningxia, researchers vigorously carry out the breeding of salt alkali tolerant crop varieties around major crops such as rice, forage, and goji berries, promoting the planting area to reach more than 1.2 million mu, and providing a colorful "coat" to the vast saline alkali wasteland. In the demonstration zone of agricultural high-tech industry in the Yellow River Delta of Shandong Province, the first digital breeding accelerator for salt alkali tolerant plants in China provides power for the breeding of suitable plants in saline alkali land. With the help of intelligent control systems, 6-8 generations can be bred here every year, with a speed 3-4 times faster than greenhouse breeding and 5-6 times faster than field breeding.
"Salt alkali areas are formed under natural conditions of arid and semi-arid climate and high saline groundwater levels. Unless the cause of salt alkali disappears, the use of single technology cannot be a one-time solution, and comprehensive measures must be adhered to. Professor Zhang Fengrong from the School of Land Science and Technology of China Agricultural University said that whether it is to transform and improve the quality of existing saline alkali farmland, or to select salt tolerant varieties and develop salt tolerant plants, the water salt movement law of" salt comes with water, salt goes with water "and the physiological mechanism of soil salt inhibiting plant water absorption must be followed. Engineering, agronomy, chemistry, biology and other methods should be comprehensively applied to develop and utilize according to local conditions, ensuring sustainable development.".
The governance of saline alkali land is an interdisciplinary and cross disciplinary systematic engineering, which urgently requires the integration of resources and the promotion of system integration innovation. Not long ago, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Salt alkali Land Comprehensive Utilization Technology Research Institute officially unveiled its comprehensive science and technology small institute in Xingongzhong Town, Wuyuan County. "The research institute will focus on the cultivation of salt alkali tolerant crop varieties, capacity improvement, and ecological utilization to carry out technological research and development, jointly carry out technological breakthroughs, result transformation and application, jointly build an innovative system for salt alkali land comprehensive utilization, and create a brand of salt alkali land products." Guo Mingwang, Deputy County Mayor and Director of the Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Science and Technology Bureau of Wuyuan County, said.
