Farm Machinery Subsoiling and Land Preparation Help Achieve High Grain Yields
In order to gradually improve the quality of cultivated land, promote stable and high grain yields and increase farmers' incomes, on August 20, the Henan Provincial Agricultural Machinery Bureau and the Provincial Department of Finance jointly formulated the "Henan Province 2014 Farm Machinery Subsoiling and Land Preparation Pilot Work Plan," using subsidies to guide farmers in carrying out farm machinery subsoiling operations and promoting the widespread adoption of farm machinery subsoiling technology.
Farm Machinery Subsoiling Builds a “Soil Reservoir”
It is understood that farm machinery subsoiling has become a technology for increasing yields and incomes, and is an important technical measure for promoting agricultural production increases. Experimental data show that for every 1 cm increase in plough layer depth, 3 mm more precipitation can be stored, which is equivalent to building multiple large “soil reservoirs.” Under the same conditions, plots that have undergone subsoiling operations all show per-mu yield increase rates of more than 10%. Henan Province has suffered from severe drought for many years, with natural disasters occurring frequently and repeatedly. By extensively carrying out farm machinery subsoiling and land preparation operations, the soil's water storage and moisture conservation capacity can be enhanced, the quality and comprehensive production capacity of cultivated land can be improved, and it helps improve soil structure and achieve sustainable agricultural development.
Dr. Huang Shaomin, a soil research expert at the Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, explained: “Farm machinery subsoiling and land preparation operations reach a depth of more than 25 cm, which can break through the plough pan, improve the land's water storage capacity, and significantly enhance the soil's water storage and moisture conservation capacity, which is conducive to increasing crop yields. It can also make crops grow neatly and evenly, extend the crop growth period, and improve crops' resistance to pests and diseases during growth.”
Strengthening the Advancement of Farm Machinery Subsoiling and Land Preparation
According to Hu Jinbo, Director of the Management Division of the Henan Provincial Agricultural Machinery Administration, since 2011, various localities in Henan Province have carried out farm machinery subsoiling and land preparation operations in conjunction with the three autumns production and winter-spring ploughing production, completing a total of 25.1 million mu of farm machinery subsoiling and land preparation tasks. At the same time, in conjunction with the Henan Provincial Department of Finance, pilot subsidy programs for farm machinery subsoiling operations were arranged, with 125.832 million yuan of farm machinery subsidy funds allocated. At a standard subsidy of 15 yuan per mu for operation costs, farm machinery subsoiling operation subsidies were implemented on 8.3888 million mu of cultivated land, benefiting more than 700,000 farming households.
This year, based on surveys and declared farm machinery subsoiling and land preparation situations in various localities, Henan Province plans to complete a pilot area of 3.5 million mu of subsoiling and land preparation operations, with a subsidy of 15 yuan per mu for operation costs, with subsidy funds drawn from farm machinery purchase subsidy funds. However, the quality of subsoiling operations must meet the requirements of “deep, level, fine, and firm,” with depth guaranteed to be more than 25 cm. After subsoiling, the soil must be leveled to conserve moisture, achieving a level field surface, fine soil, no missed ploughing, consistent depth, firm on top and loose below, and suitable for sowing. At the same time, all localities are required to rely on agricultural cooperatives to advance across entire townships and villages, radiating and expanding the operation area.
“This year, all localities will, based on the progress of the three autumns production, promptly supervise and guide farm machinery service organizations to complete operation tasks with guaranteed quality and quantity. At the same time, a full-process monitoring model will be adopted, establishing tracking, statistics, monitoring, evaluation, and feedback mechanisms to implement dynamic management,” said Hu Jinbo.
Multiple Measures to Guide Farmers in Subsoiling and Land Preparation
Due to the influence of traditional farming methods, most farmers are accustomed to shallow ploughing and rotary tillage. In addition, subsoiling operation costs are relatively high, so there are still certain difficulties in implementing farm machinery subsoiling and land preparation, both in terms of awareness and practical operation. In order to improve farmers' initiative in applying farm machinery subsoiling operation technology, various localities in Henan Province have extensively carried out publicity through forms such as dispatching publicity vehicles and distributing plain-language leaflets, publicizing the significance of farm machinery subsoiling and land preparation operations and their yield- and income-increasing effects. At the same time, experts and technical personnel are organized to go to the countryside to provide technical guidance, strengthening operational skills training for machinery operators to ensure operation quality. According to statistics, since 2011, Henan Province has held more than 700 on-site demonstrations of subsoiling machinery and technical training sessions, with cumulative training for nearly 20,000 machinery operators.
In order to effectively promote farm machinery subsoiling operations, over the past three years, Henan Province has taken increasing the number of subsoiling machines as an important guarantee, with three main measures: First, with the approval of the Henan Provincial Government, 10 million yuan from the major grain-producing province reward funds was used to support 400 farm machinery cooperatives in purchasing more than 1,300 subsoiling machines. Second, annual farm machinery purchase subsidy funds were fully utilized, with priority given to subsidizing subsoiling and land preparation machinery. It was required that, except for rice-producing areas, subsoiling machinery be listed as a subsidy priority. Places such as Shangqiu, Jiyuan, and Jiaozuo actively sought local financial support and implemented cumulative subsidies for subsoiling machinery to ensure sufficient machinery was put into production. Third, before the start of each year's production season, provincial-administered cities and counties (cities and districts) selected, through machinery model selection, subsoiling machinery suitable for local production realities and with relatively high cost-effectiveness for priority subsidies. Over the past three years, Henan Province added more than 5,000 subsoiling machines, bringing the total to 10,493, effectively enhancing subsoiling operation capacity.
Farm machinery subsoiling and land preparation operations are conducive to enhancing soil vitality and promoting stable grain yield increases, and are work that benefits the broad masses of farmers. Regarding Henan Province's next steps for farm machinery subsoiling, Hu Jinbo told reporters: “Henan Province will continue to steadily advance the development of subsoiling and land preparation operations. On the one hand, in conjunction with the three autumns and winter-spring ploughing production, through measures such as policy preferences, administrative promotion, and publicity and mobilization, efforts will be made to expand the area of farm machinery subsoiling and land preparation operations, with plans to complete more than 8 million mu of farm machinery subsoiling and land preparation operations this year. On the other hand, pilot subsidy work for farm machinery subsoiling and land preparation operations will be actively carried out, and in communication with the Provincial Department of Finance, pilot programs for farm machinery subsoiling and land preparation will continue to be established.”