Introduction trials point the way for farmers choosing seed
“When I have time, I go around the trial field to see which variety grows well and yields well, and next year I will choose that variety. Last year I selected seed based on the trial field, and on more than 60 mu of family land I planted ‘Liangyu 99’, with yield reaching more than 1,700 jin per mu.” Li Wei, of Guchengbao Village, Babao Town, Kaiyuan City, Tieling City, Liaoning Province, told the reporter. It is now early September, and the corn is almost at harvest time, so Li Wei goes to the field even more often; he wants to select the ideal variety himself through on-site observation. Song Shaoming, of Guchengbao Village, told the reporter that his family also chose the same variety last year, and the yield also exceeded 1,700 jin.
⟦NL> In 2014, the Tieling City Seed Management Station's new corn variety demonstration trial had 50 participating varieties, all of which had passed national and Liaoning Province approval (including recognition) since 2010 (including 2010), and the suitable planting areas covered new corn varieties produced within Tieling's jurisdiction.
Optimize the industrial structure, tap the potential for increasing yield
Tieling City is the main corn production area of Liaoning Province, with an annual corn production area of nearly 5 million mu, about 60% of the city's crop production area. Five years ago, the Tieling Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government proposed the 10 billion jin grain project, that is, the whole city was to increase grain output by 3 billion jin. Corn is Tieling City's main grain crop, and to increase grain output, corn output must first be raised.
Tieling City is an ecologically diverse area and is divided by climate, natural environment and other characteristics into five major ecological zones, namely the southern plains area, the central plains and southern temperate mountainous area, the central-northern undulating plains and semi-mountainous area, the northwestern sandy wind area, and the eastern cold-cool mountainous area. Because physiological characteristics differ among corn varieties, the corn varieties suitable for different ecological zones also differ.
There are many corn varieties on the market, and farmers have considerable blindness in choosing corn varieties for production, which restricts further improvement of the city's corn output. In order to determine suitable corn varieties for different ecological zones in the city, optimize the city's corn planting structure, maximize the yield-increasing potential of superior varieties, and raise the city's corn output, while also providing a trial platform for variety breeders, since 2008 the Tieling City Seed Management Station has organized introduction trials of new corn varieties and demonstrations of high-yield varieties in different ecological zones.
Liu Zhengyi, director of the Tieling City Agricultural Committee, said: “In order to screen new varieties suitable for planting in our city that are stable-yielding, high-yielding, high-quality, broadly adaptable and multi-resistant, suitable for mechanization and facility-based production, and able to meet the needs of modern agricultural development; and to guide farmers to choose good seed and use good methods, giving full play to the yield-increasing potential of superior varieties. Combined with the characteristics of our city's ecological diversity, Tieling City has for many consecutive years carried out ecological, scientific and standardized demonstrations of superior corn varieties and introduction trials of new varieties.”
Kaiyuan Hongda Seed Science and Technology Development Company is one of the units undertaking Tieling City's new variety trials. Company general manager Jiang Hongda told the reporter: “We have 120 mu of trial fields of our own, used for breeding and testing new varieties. Among them, we undertook the task of testing 50 varieties for the city seed management station. Every autumn, we organize farmers to go to the fields for on-site inspection, and many farmers come of their own accord to look.”
Zhang Hong, head of the Tieling City Seed Management Station, told the reporter: “In order to screen out corn varieties suitable for planting in our city as quickly as possible, promote the orderly development of the seed market, improve the scientific quality of seed enterprises, and meet farmers' planting needs, we fully give play to the concepts of management innovation and advancing with the times, and constantly update the trial content, making variety trials more scientific and rigorous and providing a scientific basis for government decision-making.”
Plot screening and large-area evaluation, trial planting tests open and fair. Since 2010, the regionalization of Tieling City's new corn variety introduction trials has become more complete. According to differences in effective accumulated temperature and soil type in different regions, the city's ecological zones were divided into four major regions: the central-southern Tieling plains area, the Changtu northwest semi-arid area, the Changtu north plains area, and the Tieling eastern mountainous area, and the 9 trial sites of the 2010 Tieling City new corn variety introduction trial were placed in these four major regions; on the basis of plot screening trials, large-area evaluation trials and variety demonstration trials, a high-yield test trial was added.
The trial field of Tieling Tienan Seed Co., Ltd. represents the Tieling eastern mountainous area. The reporter saw that the trial field was managed at a very high level, and a passage for observation was specially left in the middle of the field to make it convenient for visitors to inspect. Liu Yan, general manager of Tienan Seed Co., Ltd., said: “We took 10 mu from our own trial field for the city seed management station to conduct trials, with 50 varieties inside, each variety occupying 150 square meters. Doing variety trials is not for making money; in fact, we still have to put money into it, but doing so is very intuitive and convenient for farmers choosing seed.”
Zhang Hong told the reporter: “Through the trials, the blindness of planting new varieties has been avoided, farmers can more intuitively understand the local performance of more new varieties, and farmers are guided to choose superior varieties according to local conditions. In previous years we organized participating units, farmers' cooperatives and larger seed dealers to attend trial observation meetings. This year we changed the model and set up an open period, not limited to one day; farmers can come on whatever day they want, which is convenient for farmers choosing seed.” This autumn's trial observation activity was changed from the past concentrated “training-style” observation to open observation.
Through carrying out new variety trials and demonstration work, comprehensive identification of the yield, stress resistance and adaptability of new varieties is carried out, superior crop varieties suitable for planting in different ecological zones of Tieling City are screened out, and a scientific basis is provided for increasing the city's planting structure adjustment efforts, raising crop yields, and orienting the city's main planted varieties and promoting new varieties. At the same time, it has improved the service level of Tieling City's seed management and effectively safeguarded farmers' interests.
Feng Shouye, head of the Changtu County Seed Management Station, told the reporter: “Trial new varieties have a guiding role and a publicity role. There are now many seed varieties, and farmers really find it difficult to choose seed. When seed management departments organize introduction trials, everything is open, and from a fair standpoint, this can avoid some dealers giving extra water or fertilizer during trial planting.”
Good seed and good methods complement each other in supporting promotion
Besides natural factors such as climate and rainfall, planting technology also plays an important role in affecting corn yield. Choosing superior seed and matching it with corresponding cultivation techniques is an important factor affecting the final corn yield. In order to fully tap the yield of superior corn varieties, the Tieling City Seed Management Station, according to different corn ecological zones, vigorously advocates supporting cultivation of good seed with good methods, and has achieved good yield-increasing results.
Last year, 3 high-yield test trial sites for supporting cultivation of good seed with good methods were set up, and each trial unit strictly carried out sowing and management according to the good seed and good methods of the varieties provided by the participating units. Finally, through the trials, the superior seed and supporting planting methods that should be chosen for different ecological zones were basically mastered. For example, in the western sandy wind arid area, flat sowing is suitable to reduce evaporation; in the northern arid area, autumn land preparation and machine sowing at the right moisture level have good results.
Zhang Hong told the reporter that at present, in Tieling City's work on introduction, demonstration and trials of new corn varieties, the track is moving toward standardization and scientific management, and variety introduction demonstration, demonstration and trials will spread across all ecological zones of the city, will continuously increase the promotion of superior corn varieties throughout the city, fully display the role of new varieties in increasing yield and income, provide scientific guidance for farmers choosing superior varieties, and contribute to Tieling's 10 billion jin grain project.