The Integration of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Development and the Transformation of Saline and Alkaline Land (Beautiful China, Pay Attention to Saline and Alkaline Land Management ④) Riverside | Saline and Alkaline Land | Agriculture and Animal Husbandry

A thousand acre rice planting base along the Sanggan River in Shuocheng District.

Photo by Xue Liwei

A thousand acre rice planting base by the Sanggan River in Shuocheng District, where farmers are transplanting seedlings.

Photo by Liu Lei

Core Reading

Shuozhou City, Shanxi Province is located in the Datong Basin, with 1.679 million mu of saline alkali farmland. In recent years, various methods have been adopted in the local area, such as increasing the application of organic fertilizers and adding chemical amendments, to control moderate to mild saline alkali land. Combining with the characteristics of the location, the integrated development of agriculture and animal husbandry has been coordinated, and the planting structure has been adjusted with rice to control alkali, achieving increased yield and efficiency in saline alkali land.

The ancient poem "Wild people outside Yanmen Pass do not raise silkworms and do not grow hemp." describes the scene of poor natural conditions and backward agricultural production in the area of Shuozhou City, Shanxi Province.

Shanxi has 4.5 million acres of saline alkali land, among which the Datong Basin has the largest saline alkali land area, accounting for two-thirds of the province. Shuozhou City, located within it, has 1.679 million mu of saline alkali farmland and 123400 mu of saline alkali wasteland. For many years, Shuozhou City has revitalized the resources of saline alkali land and developed characteristic agriculture according to local conditions, making saline alkali land take on a big picture.

50 years of continuous management, increasing production of saline alkali land by 30% to 60%

Starting from the 1970s, Shuozhou City began to transform saline alkali land. Especially in the 1990s, the local government took the opportunity of the Datong Basin Agricultural Comprehensive Development Project to build irrigation channels for salt washing, excavate salt discharge ditches for salt discharge, and concentrate on the continuous development and treatment of saline alkali land at a rate of over 40000 acres per year.

Chen Yonghe, the chairman of the Huimuyuan Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Professional Cooperative Union in Shanyin County, who served as the party branch secretary of Dongshuangshan Village at that time, still remembers this period of history vividly. At that time, there were over 3000 acres of saline alkali land in Dongshuangshan Village, with plenty of salt and alkali. It rained heavily and the sky was clear and white. "The mountains were arid and lacking in water. At that time, the main method was to dig wells for irrigation and salt washing. The government paid and villagers worked together to drill 16 wells 60 meters deep, and over 1500 acres of saline alkali land were treated in three years." Chen Yonghe introduced.

Dongshuangshan Village distributed the six supporting saline alkali land of wells, machinery, electricity, canals, forests, and roads to the villagers. In the first year, wheat was planted, and later salt alkali tolerant crops such as sunflowers and sugar beets were planted. After continuous management, saline alkali land has become "mature land", with a yield of 2000 kilograms per mu of corn and 600 kilograms per mu of wheat.

The rent for saline alkali land is low, but the yield is considerable, and many large growers have started to undertake large-scale contracting. In 2020, Wen Xinyuan, the person in charge of Chaochao Agricultural Cooperative in Shanyin County, contracted 200 acres of saline alkali land to plant corn. Unexpectedly, they planted it for two years, but lost money instead.

"The salinity is too high, and the previous planting management method is slow to yield results." Wen Xinyuan started contracting saline alkali land in 2015, planting salt tolerant corn and applying organic fertilizer. The harvest was good, but this time it was a worry.

Coincidentally, the Shanxi Agricultural University Salt alkali Land Improvement Technology Team is responsible for the Shanxi Province "Special" and "Excellent" Agricultural High Quality Development Science and Technology Support Project, which requires experimental fields. One side has land, the other side has technology and funds, and both sides can come to an agreement with one hand.

"Analyzing the soil sample, the average pH value of this saline alkali land reached 9.78." Huang Gaojian, a member of the saline alkali land improvement technology team at Shanxi Agricultural University, introduced that they made preliminary improvements by applying chemical amendments and adding organic fertilizers with salt alkali resistant microbial agents. "Planting technology is the most crucial, and we adopt the technology of drip irrigation under the ridge and side sowing." Huang Gaojian explained that this technology avoids salt, increases temperature, and preserves soil moisture, which can play a synergistic role in regulating water, salt, fertilizer, and heat during the utilization of saline alkali land, effectively solving the problem of low seedling emergence rate.

"Indeed, it has been effective. This year, the corn emergence rate in the experimental field is 85%, while the 20 acre control group I planted myself is only about 60%," said Wen Xinyuan.

In recent years, Shuozhou City has improved and treated mild saline alkali land through a series of chemical and agronomic measures such as increasing organic fertilizer application, adding chemical amendments, deep plowing and deep loosening. In addition, with the improvement of irrigation conditions, the promotion and application of excellent varieties, and the popularization of large-scale agricultural machinery, the yield of saline alkali land has increased by 30% to 60%.

Ecological cycle, organic drought cultivation, and increasing organic matter in saline alkali land

Shanyin County is located in the golden planting area of the Yanmen Pass agricultural and pastoral transitional zone. It is a major grain producing county in China and a major dairy cow breeding county in Shanxi Province. In 2018, it was selected as one of the first organic dry farming demonstration counties in Shanxi Province. In the shade of the mountains, silage corn and alfalfa are planted on saline alkali land to feed cattle, and cow manure is processed into organic fertilizer to improve saline alkali land. In saline alkali land, mixed grain crops are planted again. This path of integrated agriculture and animal husbandry, as well as the large-scale circulation of agriculture and animal husbandry, has been continued for many years.

In 2017, the Shanxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences relied on Chen Yonghe's cooperative to carry out a project to fertilize the soil and support organic dryland cultivation techniques. In addition, the cooperative introduced organic fertilizer technology from China Agricultural University. Within two to three years, the local silage corn production increased from 2 tons per mu to 6 tons, and the sorghum production increased from 400 kilograms per mu to 1000 kilograms. In 2021, the research team of Shanxi Agricultural University came to Chen Yonghe's cooperative again to carry out a national key research and development plan project. One of the sub topics is the organic dry farming industry model of "grass livestock grain" planting and breeding combination, use and breeding combination, and ecological virtuous cycle.

What is the difference in this study? Zhang Jianhua, an associate researcher at the Sorghum Research Institute of Shanxi Agricultural University, led the reporter to the field to find the answer.

In Ananzhuang Village, Shanyin County, in a 200 acre experimental field, contiguous crops such as sorghum, corn, and soybeans vary in height. "Each crop has been planted with more than ten varieties, and with different fertilization rates in each plot, the growth is different." Zhang Jianhua explained, "Previously, the main purpose was to fertilize the soil, and the model was also relatively extensive. Now, we want to find a more precise and scientific model. What kind of production scale and technology model can achieve maximum economic and ecological benefits?"

For this, the team needs to conduct a closed-loop experiment throughout the entire chain - what forage varieties are of high quality and yield? What techniques are used to cultivate grain and grass crops? How to precisely feed cows? How can feces and other agricultural waste be utilized as resources? How can the ratio of grass, grain, and cattle achieve ecological balance in planting and breeding?

"At present, we have selected 11 forage and miscellaneous grain varieties suitable for planting outside Yanmen Pass, including sorghum, oats, alfalfa, etc." Zhang Jianhua said, "After this year's harvest, more analysis and research will be conducted."

In recent years, Shuozhou has adhered to the principle of focusing on grain cultivation and coordinating the integrated development of agriculture and animal husbandry, taking into account its location in the agricultural and animal husbandry transitional zone. "We prioritize grain and grass, using agriculture to support animal husbandry and animal husbandry to promote agriculture, forming a high-quality agricultural development model that combines planting and breeding with 'grass livestock fertilizer field grain' and a green cycle." said Gao Chengfu, Director of the Agriculture and Rural Bureau of Shuozhou City.

Adjusting planting structure to increase yield and efficiency through rice alkali treatment

At the foot of Hongtao Mountain, by the Sanggan River, the thousand acre rice field in Xiaxiguan Village, Shentou Town, Shuocheng District, Shuozhou City, is nurturing the hope of a bountiful harvest.

Xiaxiguan Village has over 1500 acres of arable land, most of which are saline alkali land. Farmers invest heavily in growing corn and have poor harvests. The first person in the village to grow rice is called Shi Yunbao. He is 67 years old and everyone calls him "Lao Shi". A few years ago, Lao Shi saw the salt alkali beaches and continuous springs in the village, and had the idea of growing rice.

Lao Shi made solid preparations in the early stage. He sent the soil samples to the agricultural technology station in his hometown of Jilin for testing, bought more than 20 rice varieties from various places for indoor trial planting, screened out salt and alkali tolerant varieties, and then built greenhouses for seedling cultivation.

In 2018, Laoshi experimented with planting 58 acres of rice, irrigated with spring water, and applied farmyard fertilizer, resulting in a yield of over 700 kilograms per mu. In the same year, Shuozhou City launched the "Qinghe Action" on the Sanggan River. Large areas of saline alkali land along the Sanggan River were cleared and improved, resulting in clear water and a greatly improved ecological environment. The confidence of expanding old stone planting was even stronger.

Now, Laoshi has planted 1300 acres of rice. He established a cooperative and registered a trademark. Not only did he grow rice himself, but he also provided technical guidance and supplied seedlings to the people of ten miles and eight townships, driving the surrounding farmers to become prosperous together.

"Planting rice can enhance soil water and fertilizer retention, water and fertilizer supply, pollution prevention, and stress resistance, effectively improving saline alkali land." Zhang Jianrong, Deputy Director of the Agriculture and Rural Bureau of Shuocheng District, also calculated that "planting rice on one acre of land can earn 4000 yuan, greatly improving the income compared to before."

To help villagers adjust their planting structure, Shuocheng District has listed rice cultivation in the saline alkali land of Xiaxiguan Village as one of the seven modern characteristic agricultural bases, supported cooperatives to introduce multiple breeding equipment, sorting machinery, and sowing and harvesting machines, and sent experts to the land regularly for scientific and technological guidance.

In the past five years, the rice planting area in Shuocheng District has increased from 50 acres to 2650 acres, and the total yield has increased from 40000 kilograms to 3.445 million kilograms. Rice planting has also expanded to surrounding counties and districts. This year, the planting area of rice in the saline alkali land of Shuozhou City has reached 5000 acres, and the fragrance of rice flowers by the Sanggan River has become a new scene in the Yanmen granary.

Although busy in the rice fields every day, Lao Shi is very familiar with national policies: "Our country has a large area of saline alkali land, and what I have done is just a drop in the ocean. The transformation of saline alkali land requires everyone to work together."