With a decade of painstaking efforts, Prof. Yi Zhijian at Chongqing Jiaotong University (CQJTU) and his research team finally created an “ecological miracle” of turning deserts into oases covered with flowers and crops to benefit human beings. The sorghum demonstration zone in Ulan Buh Desert Soilization Pilot Plant Test Research Base in Inner Mongolia was estimated by experts to yield a maximum of 932kg per mu of land, with an average yield of 789kg per mu. Experts advised to further exploit the high yield potential of sorghum in deserts and continue to promote the application of sorghum cultivation.

Chongqing Scientists Grow Sorghum Tomatoes in Desert.

Desert “soilization” is a new theory, technology, and method proposed by a research team led by mechanics professor Yi Zhijian, deputy president and head of the desertification control team at CQJTU. Based on mechanics, this new research advance integrates sand prevention, sand stabilization, and ecological restoration.

Yi’s team developed a paste made of plant cellulose that, when added to sand together with water, endows the sand with eco-mechanical properties, thus achieving “soilization”. The “soilized” sand will be able to retain water, nutrients and air and breed microbes, thus forming a fertile land to grow plants.

The sorghum demonstration zone in Ulan Buh Desert in Inner Mongolia was estimated to yield a maximum of 932kg per mu of land.

In 2016, Yi’s team managed to convert a test plot in Ala Shan Desert, Inner Mongolia into an oasis. In 2017, they pioneered 4,000 mu of test plot and cultivated some 70 varieties of plants there. All shrubs and weeds survived in the plot. The crops, including sorghum, chilies, and radishes, also flourished in the newly converted soil. Frogs, butterflies and other animals and insects started settling there. In 2018, over 6,000 mu of land was “soilized” in the base. In August this year, all vegetables and fruits planted in Ulan Buh were transported to 65 New Century Department Stores and Chongqing Department Stores and were well received among Chongqing citizens.

In late October, the Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Bureau of Alxa League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region organized relevant experts to conduct a yield estimation for the demonstration zone of the sorghum Jinnuo No.3 planted in Ulan Buh Desert Soilization Pilot Plant Test Research Base. The test result suggests that the test plot reaches a maximum yield of 932kg per mu and an average yield of 789kg per mu. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows the average sorghum yield in China was 324kg per mu in 2017.

The experts considered the test result satisfactory. There will be a great chance to increase sorghum production in “soilized” deserts if more efforts are paid on watering and fertilization management and variety selection. The “soilization” technology is of great significance to cultivation, agroecology, environmental protection, and food security. The research team should expand their test field and promote the technology to more sectors, said Zhang Xiaochun, head of Characteristic Crops Research Institute, Chongqing Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

Source: Shangyou News