Technical guidance opinions issued by the Liaoning Provincial Agricultural Commission on drought resistance and ensuring spring sowing of field crops

Since March, rainfall in Liaoning Province has been relatively low, and varying degrees of drought have occurred in western Liaoning and other areas. From May 4 to 6, our province received widespread light to moderate rain, and the drought was effectively alleviated in Shenyang, Anshan, Fushun, Benxi, Yingkou, Liaoyang, Tieling, Panjin and other areas; precipitation in western Liaoning areas such as Chaoyang and Fuxin was limited, and the drought was not significantly alleviated. In order to implement the arrangements deployed at the provincial drought resistance work meeting on May 8 and the spirit of the speech by Governor Chen Qiufa, and to make every effort to do a good job in agricultural drought resistance, ensuring spring sowing and adjusting the planting structure, the following technical guidance opinions are hereby put forward.

I. Actively promote drought-resistant sowing techniques

According to soil moisture conditions and meteorological conditions such as rainfall and temperature, adopt corresponding drought-resistant sowing techniques. First, pay close attention to the weather and sow at the right time. Use effective rainfall after rain to sow while there is moisture, or sow dry and wait for rain according to soil moisture and expected precipitation, so as to speed up the sowing progress of field crops. Second, use deep hoeing to create moisture and sow. Hoe open the dry soil layer to expose the moist soil layer, then shallowly sow varieties with strong soil-penetrating ability and cover with soil and press heavily. Third, implement no-till sowing to minimize disturbance of the soil. Fourth, change the sowing position from the ridge top to the furrow or flat sowing to maximize the use of soil moisture. Fifth, apply drought-resistant agents and increase the application of organic fertilizer to increase the soil's water storage and retention capacity, while appropriately increasing the application of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers to promote crop germination and growth and improve crop drought resistance.

II. Actively carry out planting structure adjustment

In areas where the original sowing plan cannot be completed within the suitable sowing period due to drought, it is necessary to analyze and judge in advance, understand market demand, prepare crop seed reserves for adjustment early, and actively promote planting structure adjustment. First, develop facility agriculture. Actively promote the construction of large-scale facility agriculture, develop efficient cash crops such as vegetables, edible fungi and flowers, turn passive drought resistance into active drought resistance, and enhance agriculture's drought resistance capacity. Second, develop drought-resistant crops. It is necessary to adapt to the requirements of structural adjustment, guide farmers to switch to water-saving, drought-tolerant and highly stress-resistant crops such as miscellaneous grains and beans, peanuts and sweet potatoes, and actively promote large-scale, industrialized and contract-based production. Third, develop early-maturing crops. Actively analyze market demand and switch to early-maturing varieties with shorter growth periods such as fresh-eating corn and buckwheat. To meet the needs of livestock development, switch to silage corn to ensure that farmers do not reduce income even if production is reduced.

III. Actively adopt water conservancy drought-resistant measures

First, give play to the role of water-saving drip irrigation projects, implement water-saving cultivation technology under plastic film drip irrigation, adopt film-covered seeders to complete in one pass operations such as furrowing, fertilizing, sowing, ridging, spraying herbicides, laying drip irrigation tape and covering with film, implement “one film, one tape, large ridge, double rows” cultivation, lay the drip irrigation tape between the two rows of crops with small row spacing, and at the same time, according to rainfall, soil moisture and crop water demand, supplement irrigation at appropriate times and in appropriate amounts during sowing, emergence and other periods. Second, give play to the role of drought-resistant water sources and water conservancy facilities and equipment, implement “water-sitting” sowing technology, and adopt seeders or other sowing methods to complete in one pass the integrated water-sitting sowing technology of furrowing, watering, sowing, fertilizing, covering with soil and pressing. Third, make full use of existing farmland water conservancy facilities, do a good job in water storage, water transfer, water retention and water supplementation, focus on ensuring production in facility agriculture, efficient cash crops, seed fields and grain ration fields, and minimize the losses caused by drought to agricultural production.

IV. Actively do a good job in field management during the seedling stage

First, promptly inspect fields and replant seedlings. After sowing, pay close attention to seed germination and emergence. For plots where seeds have “dried out” or emergence is uneven, replant or transplant in time as appropriate; for plots with serious missing seedlings, promptly destroy the crop and replant drought-resistant varieties with short growth periods or switch to other drought-resistant crops. Second, strengthen field management. After emergence, promptly inspect seedling conditions in the field, thin seedlings at the appropriate time, appropriately delay final thinning, and where seedlings are missing, leave double plants as compensation to improve population uniformity and ensure a reasonable population density. For plots with missing seedlings and broken rows, promptly replant early-maturing varieties; for plots with uneven seedling conditions, apply extra fertilizer to small and weak seedlings to promote their accelerated growth and development.