Innovative 5G tech revolutionizes blueberry cultivation in E China's Anhui

On April 16, workers at a 5G-enabled blueberry planting base in Shiwu village, Shizi township, Langxi county, east China's Anhui Province, harvested blueberries, marking a new milestone in technology-assisted agriculture practices.

Tourists experience the uniqueness of picking blueberries at a 5G-enabled blueberry planting base in Shiwu village, Shizi township, Langxi county, east China's Anhui Province. (People's Daily Online/Miao Zijian)

This farming base employs non-traditional methods by cultivating blueberries in pots based on data-driven readings from various sensors and devices. On top of that, the greenhouses themselves are equipped with intelligent drip and spray irrigation systems that ensure optimal growing conditions. The sensors and Internet of Things (IoT) devices installed in the greenhouses monitor data in real-time such as the greenhouse’s temperature, the moisture in the soil, and the status of water and fertilizer supply.

Workers pick blueberries at a 5G-enabled blueberry planting base in Shiwu village, Shizi township, Langxi county, east China's Anhui Province. (People's Daily Online/Miao Zijian)

The innovative use of sensors and IoT technology allows for greater efficiency where one worker can manage and oversee greenhouses boasting 47,000 pots of blueberries and spanning 50 mu (about 3.33 hectares) all from a mobile phone.

These precise management techniques are significant because they enable blueberry planting outside of their traditional growing season, thereby enhancing the popularity of the base’s blueberries among consumers in the Yangtze River Delta region.

Photo shows an Internet of Things device at work inside a blueberry greenhouse in Shiwu village, Shizi township, Langxi county, east China's Anhui Province. (People's Daily Online/Miao Zijian)

A worker picks blueberries at a 5G-enabled blueberry planting base in Shiwu village, Shizi township, Langxi county, east China's Anhui Province. (People's Daily Online/Miao Zijian)

A worker showcases the use of technology to manage a 5G-enabled blueberry planting base with just a mobile phone in Shiwu village, Shizi township, Langxi county, east China's Anhui Province. (People's Daily Online/Miao Zijian)