New Strawberry Elevated Soilless Cultivation Technology Makes Its First Evolution at Hangzhou Yangtian Agriculture

Recently, Jinhua Town in Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou, introduced a modern agricultural enterprise —— Hangzhou Yangtian Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., and established a high-tech agricultural innovation demonstration base in Huajiadian Village in the town, adopting an optimized strawberry elevated soilless cultivation technology and achieving success.

Walking into the 6000 sq m modern intelligent greenhouse of the Yangtian Agricultural Science Demonstration Base, rows of neatly arranged strawberry elevated soilless cultivation facilities at waist height are a striking sight. "Don't underestimate this optimized elevated soilless cultivation technology; we are the first in the country. This strawberry cultivation technology can improve strawberry quality, double the yield, and save half the land area," Zhu Hanliang, chairman of Hangzhou Yangtian Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., told this writer.

It is understood that this elevated soilless strawberry cultivation technology was newly introduced from Japan by Hangzhou Yangtian Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. with an investment of 6 million yuan. Through a digital program control device, the efficient fertilizer formula, dosage, and drip irrigation timing are controlled throughout the entire process, giving it clear advantages over traditional strawberry cultivation methods.

Traditional strawberries are planted in the ground, which not only requires bending over to work with great physical intensity, but also makes it difficult to avoid pests and diseases. The outstanding advantage of elevated cultivation is that it gives the plants good lighting, effectively controls the temperature and humidity around the plant roots, and creates the best growing conditions for fruits and vegetables.
 

New Strawberry Elevated Soilless Cultivation Technology

Now, digital information technology is rapidly penetrating all industries. The protected agriculture or high-efficiency agriculture built by the Yangtian Agricultural Science Demonstration Base is in fact digital agriculture, and this is also the most core technical system of the entire demonstration base. During this writer's visit, I found that each row of elevated troughs has two pipes, one for heating and one for supplying water and nutrients, reaching directly to the plant roots. Temperature and humidity are all digitally and automatically controlled, clear at a glance. "The nutrient ratio is different at each growth stage of the plant, so resource utilization is maximized, very time-saving and labor-saving, and it makes management easy and enjoyable," said Zhong Hanliang.
 
According to reports, because the optimized control technology system for elevated soilless cultivation uses program-controlled drip irrigation for fertilizer supply, it can carry out staged management according to the water and nutrients needed for strawberry growth. In the early growth stage and flower bud differentiation stage of strawberries, nutrient promotion management is carried out, and in the fruit ripening stage, management can be carried out to increase strawberry sugar content and adjust acidity, thereby revolutionizing the improvement of strawberry quality and yield. For example, traditional strawberry cultivation generally yields about 3500 jin per mu, while the new Yangtian model can increase strawberry yield to more than 7000 jin per mu. Moreover, traditional soil cultivation is limited by soil conditions and has continuous cropping obstacles, with low land utilization. Elevated soilless cultivation is not limited by soil conditions, avoids continuous cropping obstacles, and improves land utilization.

After tasting the Jialeman strawberries produced at the Yangtian Agricultural Science Demonstration Base, this writer found that, unlike fruit generally grown in greenhouses, the strawberries here have a hint of tartness within their sweetness, are full of moisture, and have a delicate texture. "The good taste is related to the management of increasing strawberry sugar content and adjusting acidity," said the company's staff member responsible for marketing. "At present, because the yield is not very large, this elevated soilless cultivated strawberry is mainly supplied to high-end fruit supermarkets. Although the price is 50% higher than ordinary strawberries, there is still great market demand."
 

Recently, relevant experts from the Development Research Center of the State Council came to investigate and exchanged views with Lai Xiaohua, Party Secretary of Jinhua Town, and Cao Zhefeng, Town Mayor. Regarding the new paradigm of the Yangtian Agricultural Cultivation Demonstration Base, which takes "happy agriculture, joyful agriculture" as its goal, brings in capital and talent, and relies on science and technology to vigorously develop protected agriculture, the experts gave full affirmation, and were especially full of praise for the innovation of the "intelligent greenhouse + substrate cultivation elevated facilities + intelligent fertilizer and water control high-tech fully automatic agricultural planting system."
 
Zhong Hanliang, born into a rural family, was influenced from childhood by the traditional farmer's labor model of "facing the yellow earth with back to the sky," and the low-efficiency, extensive agricultural model was also the main reason why rural areas remained poor and backward for many years. Therefore, "being a farmer can also mean an easy, happy, and high-income life" became the dream Zhong Hanliang pursued all along. This dream gradually became reality with the establishment of Hangzhou Yangtian Agricultural Development Co., Ltd.