What to do about drought relief and disaster reduction? The National Modern Agricultural Industry Technology System offers a prescription

Report from this website: In the face of the current large-scale drought in China, the National Modern Agricultural Industry Technology System, the Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratories, and the national grassroots agricultural technology extension system, in accordance with the deployment of the Department of Science and Technology Education of the Ministry of Agriculture, have actively taken action, coordinated and collaborated, and gone deep into the front lines of production to inspect soil moisture, crop conditions, and drought conditions, cooperating with local agricultural departments to guide farmers on site in drought relief and disaster rescue, minimizing disaster losses. In order to strive for reduced yield reduction in severely drought-stricken areas, no yield reduction in lightly drought-stricken areas, and increased yield in non-drought areas, and to go all out to secure an abundant autumn grain harvest, experts have put forward the following drought relief and disaster reduction recommendations.

Corn is currently at the peak of vigorous growth and water demand. To cope with the current drought and possible consecutive summer-autumn drought, it is recommended to make full use of all kinds of drought-resistant water sources and water-saving drip irrigation projects according to actual field soil moisture, giving priority to irrigating fields in the critical water-deficit period. After each watering, carry out shallow plowing and loosening of the soil to improve soil aeration, increase soil microbial activity, reduce surface water evaporation, reduce surface runoff, promote root growth, and improve corn's drought resistance. Choose an appropriate time to apply ear and grain fertilizer, control the application rate with a “small meals, more often” approach, and promote root growth and nutrient uptake. After the corn jointing stage, weeds should be removed promptly, inter-row cultivation and hilling should be carried out, and tillers should be removed to reduce nutrient consumption, improve aeration, reduce water competition, and ensure grain filling. During the corn tasseling stage, manual supplementary pollination should be carried out to improve seed-setting rate and increase yield. Promote appropriately delayed harvest, do a good job in training and publicity for delayed corn harvest technology, increase corn maturity as much as possible, and ensure yield by increasing grain weight. For corn fields with severe yield reduction or total crop failure, plow them all under or harvest them for silage. If there is sufficient rainfall from late August to October, promptly replant open-field vegetables or forage crops. In addition, corn that has not yet produced ears should not be abandoned lightly. Where conditions permit, it can be sold to local cattle farms and forage processing plants, or made into hay for feeding cattle and sheep, to compensate for the economic losses caused by drought.

Soybeans are currently at the full flowering stage, and some varieties have entered the podding stage, which is the most critical period for soybean water demand. At the same time, plant height is 20—40 cm lower than usual, and vegetative development is insufficient. It is recommended to make full use of all water sources, speed up watering progress, and expand the irrigated area. Promptly hoe to preserve soil moisture, loosen the soil and remove weeds, reduce soil water evaporation, promote root growth, and achieve the goal of storing water through management and cultivation. Apply appropriate topdressing to preserve flowers and pods. For fields with severe damage or total crop failure, early-maturing crops or autumn vegetables such as radish and Chinese cabbage can be planted promptly to increase economic income and reduce disaster losses.

⟦NL> In North China and Northwest China, single-season northern potatoes are at the stage of vigorous aboveground growth and tuber expansion. It is recommended that in areas with irrigation conditions, in conjunction with the comprehensive management of groundwater overexploitation, irrigation facilities should be maintained and equipped, and groundwater should be extracted scientifically and rationally for irrigation to ensure the needs of normal potato growth. In areas without irrigation conditions, guide farmers to strengthen field management, carry out inter-row cultivation and weed control, and spray foliar fertilizer to improve crop drought resistance.

This summer, the rice-growing areas in southern China received relatively abundant rainfall, and temperatures in most areas were close to normal or on the high side. This is relatively favorable for the migration of migratory pests and the spread of diseases. Given that migratory pests such as armyworm, meadow moth, brown planthopper, and rice leaf roller have the characteristics of sudden outbreaks, and there is some uncertainty in the areas and timing of occurrence, it is recommended that all localities strengthen monitoring, early warning, and prevention and control of diseases and insect pests in autumn grain crops. At present, rice in areas north of the Yangtze River in China is at the booting——heading——flowering stage, and attention should be paid to monitoring brown planthopper, rice leaf roller, rice blast, striped stem borer, and pink stem borer. Most corn is at the grain-filling——milk-ripe stage, and attention should be paid to monitoring armyworm, corn borer, Athetis lepigone, and meadow moth. Potatoes and other crops are in the growing period, and in Xinjiang and Northeast China, monitoring of Colorado potato beetle and potato late blight should be strengthened.

China's next season of rapeseed production will begin autumn sowing in September. In view of the current situation of continuous high temperature and little rain in most areas north of the Yangtze River, and the ongoing development of drought in some areas, experts suggest that when sowing encounters high temperature and severe drought, the sowing period can be appropriately delayed. For direct-seeded fields, the sowing time can be delayed to late September to early October at the end of the high-temperature period. Prepare the land before sowing and sow promptly before the temperature drops and rain comes. For fields with delayed sowing, appropriately increase the density. According to the sowing time, the density can be increased to 20,000-40,000 plants. For transplanting fields, the sowing period can be delayed to mid-to-late September. Prepare the seedbed and fertilizer before sowing, sow promptly before rain, and transplant promptly according to weather when the seedling age is between 30-40 days. For fields with watering conditions, irrigate after sowing for drought resistance. Watering should soak through the bed surface. In extremely dry weather, according to soil moisture, persist in continuous watering in the early morning when evaporation is low before and after emergence, and at the same time use shade nets or thatch fans to cover the bed surface to prevent high temperatures from burning seedlings and reduce water evaporation from the bed surface. If emergence is uneven due to continuous sunny and high temperatures, or if transplanted seedlings die and there are serious gaps, promptly reseed and replant according to the missing seedling situation. 3-5 days after the temperature drops and rain comes, promptly thin seedlings, remove weeds, and control insects.

Experts note that because water shortages in drought-stricken areas are severe, once diseases and insect pests occur, they will bring difficulties to prevention and control. Relevant departments should focus on strengthening monitoring and prevention and control of diseases and insect pests in autumn grain crops, strive to achieve early detection and early control, and avoid losses caused by high incidence of diseases and insect pests. Promptly prepare micro-amount high-efficiency spraying equipment or dusting equipment for micro-spraying, or use waterless powder or smoke-generating pesticide formulations, to facilitate farmers' use.