Shiliuyun - Xinjiang Daily (Reporter Zhang Zhili) news: Spring arrives one by one at the vast land of Xinjiang, where mountains and basins interlace, and a picture scroll of spring plowing gradually stretches from south to north in the oasis.

Farmers seize the time and prepare for spring plowing, or are already engaged in spring plowing: from the supply of agricultural materials to the maintenance of agricultural machinery, from farmland transformation to farmer training, from winter wheat spring management to sowing before frozen soil thaws, from fruit tree pruned in spring to greenhouse full of vitality... The breath of spring fills the time train of agricultural production transformation and upgrading in various places; The hope of a bumper harvest lies in the enthusiasm and self-confidence of the cadres and masses in the agricultural and pastoral areas.

Photo taken on March 6, 2023 shows large fertilizer spreaders work in the wheat planting field of Kuoshiwusitang Village in Yingwusitang Township, Shache County, Kashgar Prefecture, northwest China’s Xinjiang. (Photo by Mamatali Mamatimin)

Good preparation ensures better harvest

“I had my spring irrigation in time this year, and with the thorough irrigation this time and a good management after irrigation, my 13 mu of wheat will definitely reap a bumper harvest.” On March 2, 2023, Ablat Ahmat said happily as he was watching the water from the canal flowing into his wheat field.

Hotan Prefecture, the southernmost region of Xinjiang, has only about 40 millimeters of annual precipitation, and agricultural irrigation mainly relies on meltwater from alpine ice and snow. Ensuring spring irrigation is to ensure food security and people's livelihood. All counties and cities in Hotan Prefecture have done good preparation work for spring irrigation: proactively scheduled spring irrigation water, strengthened the management of the whole process of irrigation distribution and water transmission in channels at all levels, dredged channels and sluices, and carried out inspection and maintenance of canal systems and buildings to ensure that winter wheat can drink clean water.

Along the foothills of the Kunlun Mountains to the west, spring plowing and production in the Kashgar Prefecture, a state-level grain production base, is proceeding in an orderly manner: in the plains, farmers rush for spring irrigation and fertilizing, and winter wheat is growing day by day; in mountainous areas, except for the high-altitude areas of Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, spring wheat sowing is nearing its end; preparations are also made for the planting of corn and oil crops.

Looking at the four prefectures in southern Xinjiang, where machines are making booming sounds in the fields, grain production is undoubtedly the first battle in spring plowing. Make Early planning and early deployment, and take early action to promote the construction of high-standard farmland, cotton-wheat rotation, grain and fruit intercropping... farmers are busy with spring ploughing everywhere.

Looking over the Tianshan Mountains to the north, farmland in many places is still covered with ice and snow, while spring ploughing and preparation work such as agricultural machinery maintenance, farmer training, agricultural material storing, mechanical snow breaking, and agricultural protection are in full swing. In Manas County, which is the most advanced county in Xinjiang in terms of agricultural machinery and agricultural technology, drone fertilization and high-horsepower machinery snow breaking activities started; In the Ili River Valley, where agricultural and animal husbandry production conditions are superior, winter wheat management and spring wheat, corn and rice ploughing preparation work began. In the Altay Prefecture, which is still in the ski season, the sowing of food crops in the valley and mountainous areas is being implemented step by step ...

Photo taken on March 5, 2023 shows a technician helps farmers repair farm machinery. A few days ago, work team of the Wusu City Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau stationed in Liujiazhuangzi Village, Ganhezi Town, and the village volunteer service team carried out activities to help spring ploughing and preparation. (Photo by Liu Long)

In this way, the “industrial map” draws a wider road for farmers to increase their income

Handling cement columns, measuring spacing and height, digging and fixing... in these days, in clusters of vineyards in Turpan City, known as “the first arrival station of spring in Xinjiang”, many farmers are seizing the favorable time before the plowing, and busy with grape trellis transformation.

“Grape is our most important specialty industry here, and in recent years, the grape industry has become bigger and bigger, and our life is getting sweeter and sweeter like grapes. This year, I contracted more than 20 mu of vineyards.” said Palihati Maiming, a villager in Oyman Karez Village, Chatkale Township, Gaochang District, Turpan City on March 7, 2023. His family had only 4 mu of land at first, and since contracting vineyards to sell table grapes and raisins, the family income has reached 100,000 yuan a year.

Photo taken on March 5, 2023 shows grape growers put their vines on shelves in Sanbao Township, Gaochang District, Turpan City, northwest China’s Xinjiang. (Photo by Lan Shengwen)

Eskar Erken, deputy secretary of the Party committee and head of Chatkale Township, told reporters that of the nearly 100,000 mu of cultivated land in the township, there are 48,000 mu of grapes, 23,000 mu of watermelons and melons, more than 2,800 facility agricultural greenhouses, and there are also more than 70,000 mu of saxaul trees (haloxylon ammodendron) and Cistanches Herba cultivation area in the Gobi desert. The “agriculture development map” is detailed and clear in guidance, the majority of farmers have been busy with the industries they are engaged in at the beginning of the spring. After finishing their household farm work, many young people go to the nearby industrial parks to work and earn money.

The whole year's work depends on a good start in spring. Spring ploughing and preparation are the key to ensure the stable production and supply of grain and other important agricultural products, which will affect the annual income of growers. Today, with the rapid development of agricultural industrialization, every locality, every leading enterprise or farmer professional cooperative, and every grower has an “industrial map” that is large or small, complex or simple. Spring ploughing and preparation are the starting point of the “industrial map” drawn every year.

“This year, Xinjiang has actively expanded corn planting area, supports the planting of soybeans and peanuts, has increased the grain planting area by more than 4.8 million mu by adjusting and optimizing the planting structure, addition of new arable land and replanting, also, the quality and efficiency of cotton production has been improved, too. These general directions and big efforts to greatly improve the contribution of ensuring national food security and the supply of important agricultural products have made enterprises and farmers feel reassured and more confident,” said Wu Hongtao, the chairman of Xinjiang Tianyu Seed Industry Co., Ltd.

Xinjiang Tianyu Seed Industry Co., Ltd. has scientific research and breeding bases and seed production bases in many counties and cities in southern Xinjiang, and the wheat, corn, cotton and other seeds developed and produced are mainly supplied to the five prefectures in southern Xinjiang. Different from previous years, the demand for seeds in various places has increased significantly this year, especially the sales of wheat and corn seeds have changed from enterprise sales in previous years to customer purchases, and the demand has exceeded supply. At present, the company is ensuring the supply of seeds for spring plowing in some areas of southern and northern Xinjiang, and on the other hand, it is trying to do a good job in spring management or spring sowing of 250,000 mu of seed production bases. Catering to the primary industry development goals of the autonomous region, the company has expanded the seed production area, enriched the seed varieties and improved the seed quality, striving to meet the market demand of Xinjiang's seed industry.

From southern Xinjiang to northern Xinjiang, from towns to villages, agricultural material production industries involving in the production of fertilizer, mulch film, drip irrigation belt and as such, and logistics and transportation industries and financial credit industries are all centering on agriculture, the characteristic industries. Agricultural materials were sent to the fields, and policy subsidies and credit loans to support spring ploughing and preparation were distributed to farming households. The guarantee of all parties in the spring ploughing and preparation work has paved a broad road for farmers to increase their income.

Photo taken on March 4, 2023 shows, at Xinjiang Yuxiang Huyang Chemical Co., Ltd. in the Circular Economy Industrial Park in Shaya County, Aksu Prefecture, northwest China’s Xinjiang, the newly produced fertilizers are loaded onto trucks to be dispatched to other places. (Photo by Han Yuanbo)

New technology fastens agricultural modernization

There are so many old sayings say that spring ploughing and preparation for ploughing must not be delayed, such as "In spring every day counts, in summer every hour counts". Spring ploughing and preparation work are becoming more dependent on science and technology.

On the afternoon of March 2, 2023, in a smart greenhouse located in Changji National Agricultural Science and Technology Park, a melon and vegetable grafting machine was grafting watermelon seedlings at a rate of 1,500 plants per hour under the operation of researchers. According to scientific research personnel, the intelligent grafting machine is mainly suitable for the grafting of melons and nightshade crop seedlings, such as watermelons, melons, tomatoes, peppers, etc. Its work efficiency is about 8 times higher than that of manual grafting, and it has the significant characteristics of saving labor and time, so as to achieve cost saving and efficiency increase.

In the Shufu County Seedling Center, automatic seeding machines, sprinkler irrigation systems and intelligent temperature and humidity control equipment save time and effort by "factory" mode seedlings cultivation, improve efficiency of seedling cultivation, and realize large-scale production of vegetable seedlings. Fan Baocang, head of the Shufu County Seedling Center, said that smart greenhouse can ensure that the temperature in the greenhouse is maintained in a range suitable for the growth of vegetable seedlings, so that the vegetable seedlings can grow particularly neatly. At present, more than 3.2 million vegetable seedlings have been cultivated here, including peppers, tomatoes and melons.

As the weather warms up, among the bright melody of spring ploughing and preparation in various parts of Xinjiang, the high-tech and practical farmer training courses have become the most active notes. In the apricot orchard in Qigaibulak Village, Yangxia Town, Luntai County, Bayingoling Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China’s Xinjiang, the county's forestry and grassland bureau held an on-site meeting for oilseed rape interplanting in orchards, teaching farmers to use new machinery to evenly sow rapeseed seeds. In the "smart farm" in Awat County, the high-standard farmland management system takes data as the center and virtualization technology as a means to provide intelligent assistance for the whole process of "farming, management and harvesting" for farmers. In the greenhouse in Hetian County, growers can store, display and manage the data sent by the wireless sensor aggregation node, realizing a qualitative leap from the traditional "one person manages one shed" to the current "one person manages a hundred sheds"...

Photo taken on March 6, 2023 shows a farmer tends tomato seedlings in a vegetable greenhouse in Kyzilkuduk village, Karatunk township, Fuyun County, northwest China’s Xinjiang. (Photo by Ma Yunnan)

"From high-standard farmland construction to crop planting management, digital agriculture is unstoppable in its march towards wide application. During this year's spring ploughing and preparation, the newly built digital agriculture training base in the county has become a new check-in place for farmers.” said Lv Xiaoqing, director of the Manas County Agricultural Technology Extension Center on March 6, 2023. At present, the county has 12,700 sets of modern agricultural machinery, including 1,600 large agricultural machinery with more than 70 horsepower. A large number of new agricultural technologies, such as intelligent water-saving drip irrigation and intelligent water and fertilizer integration, have been widely used throughout the county.

It is believed that the support of agricultural science and technology has allowed sufficient preparations in spring plowing production in Xinjiang, bettered industrial institutions, improved farming efficiency, and diversified business methods.

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