Farmers start spring plowing, seedling cultivation in Shangcheng, C China's Henan

Dong Shungui, head of an agricultural machinery cooperative in Shangcheng county, central China's Henan Province, checks on the growth of rice seedlings. (Photo/Hong Xiaoyan)

In Shangcheng county, central China's Henan Province, farmers are occupied with spring plowing and seedling cultivation on the fields. On March 17, over 10 farmers were diligently tending to regenerative rice seedlings in a greenhouse in Liji township of the county.

The greenhouse, constructed in 2014, occupies over 5,000 square meters. It has the capacity to cultivate more than 100,000 trays of rice seedlings, effectively meeting the demand for planting rice seedlings on over 10,000 mu (666.67 hectares) of rice fields.

In a nearby agricultural machinery cooperative, located 3 kilometers away from the rice seedling cultivation base, He Jianqiang, an agricultural technician, was operating a drone to spray pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizers on wheat.

According to He, using drones to prevent wheat diseases not only reduces labor costs but also enhances crop yield.

Chen Chang, the chief agronomist of the agricultural and rural affairs bureau in Shangcheng county, has been actively organizing training sessions for farmers across various towns and townships within the county. The objective of these sessions is to promote the adoption of efficient agricultural techniques.

"We have conducted a total of eight training sessions on agricultural techniques for the spring season of 2024 in eight major grain-producing towns and townships. Over 500 people have been trained," said Chen.

Shangcheng is a major grain-producing county, with a rice cultivation area of 500,000 mu in 2023. The annual target for total grain production is stable at over 300 million kilograms.