Chongqing Agricultural Drought Relief: National Rice Experts Offer Advice
Recently, based on discussions organized among relevant experts within the municipality, and after consultation and revision with the rice expert group of the Ministry of Agriculture, the Chongqing Municipal Agriculture Bureau proposed five technical measures for drought-resistant rice seedling cultivation to ensure transplanting, and specially compiled the "Technical Questions and Answers on Drought-Resistant Rice Seedling Cultivation to Ensure Transplanting," to help grassroots agricultural technicians and farmers further advance autumn grain sowing and ensure full transplanting.
Affected by the continuation of last year's severe drought, most rice fields in Chongqing were unable to store water before winter. Since last winter and this spring, temperatures have been higher than usual and precipitation has decreased compared to normal years, causing autumn grain production to face a very severe drought situation: rice fields with stored water are less than half of normal years, and water storage volume is less than one-third of normal years. In some places, there are difficulties in drinking water for people and livestock, and some places lack water for seedling cultivation.
According to Zhang Hongsong, deputy director of the Chongqing Municipal Agriculture Bureau, Chongqing has now entered the peak period of spring sowing. Whether drought-resistant seedling cultivation and ensured transplanting can be done well affects the entire main spring production and the whole year's grain production. In response to the current drought, combined with this year's climate trend forecast, and in view of the characteristics of Chongqing's agricultural cultivated land being mainly hilly and mountainous, its planting industry being mainly autumn grain crops, autumn grain being mainly rice, and agriculture being mainly "rain-fed," Chongqing invited national rice experts to jointly offer advice for agricultural drought-resistant seedling cultivation and ensured transplanting.
It is understood that the five technical measures formulated through consultation between national rice experts and Chongqing agricultural experts are: focus on drought-resistant seedling cultivation and grow enough seedlings; prepare for extending seedling age and waiting for water to transplant, and sow early at the appropriate time; encourage farmers to till and prepare land to preserve soil moisture, using micro-tillers for tillage or manual digging of dry flat fields; strive for drought resistance to ensure full transplanting, and transplant early at the appropriate time; and persist in taking the dryland route when the water route is not feasible. When deciding to switch to dryland crops, a comprehensive analysis should be made from aspects such as disaster resistance throughout the year and the drainage conditions of fields converted to dryland in normal years.