A total of 1.036 million mu of corn in Bayingol Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region are entering the harvest period on September 28, 2023. Photo: cnsphoto

A high-yield field in Tacheng, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, has smashed the national corn harvest record in terms of yield per mu calculated in areas of 100,000 mu (6,666.67 hectares), according to a report by Xinjiang Daily on Monday.

The average yield of 100,000 mu of concentrated corn harvested by machinery in Tacheng reached 1,117.4 kilograms per mu, setting a new record for corn yield in terms of 100,000 mu in China. So far, Xinjiang has set records in the corn yield per unit in terms of 100 mu, 1,000 mu, 10,000 mu and 100,000 mu.

"This year, corn production in Xinjiang including southern part of the region has been able to continuously set new national records, which is mainly thanks to the increase in planting density, the promotion and application of key technologies such as drip irrigation technology and more precise control," said Li Shaokun, a research fellow at the Institute of Crop Science at Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, who's also leader of the expert group on the corn yield improvement project under China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

Li's team has been dedicated to the research and development of those core technologies for more than 20 years. Since their adoption in Xinjiang's Qitai County in 2004, cornfields using the technologies have broken China's national corn yield record seven times in a row.

There is still great potential for Xinjiang to increase corn planting density, and the key lies in implementation of precise control in accordance with local conditions, according to Li.

Currently, the planting density of high-yielding corn fields in northern Xinjiang is 7,000-8,000 plants per mu, the highest in the country. The planting density of ordinary corn is about 4,000-5,000 plants per mu.

Xinjiang has seen a steady rise in the use of modern machinery including drone sprayers, intelligent harvesters and as well as spectrometer screening, as well as advanced technologies in boosting its crop production and facilitate harvest over recent years.

It is estimated that the mechanization rate of cotton harvesting in Xinjiang could reach as high as 85 percent this year, and the rates for other crops such as pepper, corn and wheat could reach 65 percent, local officials said.

Cotton blossoms in Xinjiang in October, when it will be harvested by intelligent cotton-picking machines. Xinjiang accounts for 85 percent of China's annual cotton yield.

In 2022, Xinjiang's total grain output increased for seven consecutive years. Its per capita share of grain reached 700 kilograms, 44 percentage points higher than the national average, according to the regional department of agriculture and rural affairs.

Global Times