Chongqing - “As an interdisciplinary research achievement based on mechanics, the successful experiment of 20,000 mu of innovative Desert Agricultural Transformation technology under different site conditions at domestic and abroad has received attention,” said Professor Yi Zhijian, Vice President of Chongqing Jiaotong University and leader of the Desert Agricultural Transformation Project team.
Desert Agricultural Transformation Project from Professor Yi’s team was shortlisted for the 2022 Earthshot Prize Award and is one of only two shortlisted projects in China.
The Earthshot Prize Award is an international environmental award created by Prince William and the Royal Foundation of the United Kingdom to promote global solutions to a range of pressing environmental challenges and to encourage and promote innovative solutions.
The Desert Agricultural Transformation Project of Professor Yi Zhijian’s team, who works as Vice President of Chongqing Jiaotong University and leader of the Desert Agricultural Transformation Project team, was shortlisted for the 2022 Earthshot Prize Award. (Photo / Wang Min)
Professor Yi said that the essence of desert water shortage is that sand cannot hold water, and the transformed technology used in the sand not only has the mechanical properties of the soil but also has the ability of the soil to store water, nutrients, air, and reproduce microorganisms.
The desert sand transformed by their team has soil properties, water, and fertilizer; drought-tolerant plants do not need artificial irrigation and can also be breathable, which is conducive to the breeding of microorganisms and provides favorable conditions for plant growth.
The innovative transformed technology can make the 20-centimeter-thick part of the desert surface become soil. The sand below remains discrete, allowing the plant's root system to grow freely so that the plants grown later hold better yields and yield quality.
Since the first experiment in 2016, Professor Yi and his team have been paying attention to experimental sites using desert agricultural transformation technology.
They found that the plants grew vigorously in the soil they transformed, better than many farmlands.
The team of the Desert Agricultural Transformation Project is experimenting with vegetable growing. (Photo / Wang Min)
For example, the yield per mu of radish grown in sand-modified soil is about 13,600 kilograms, while the national average yield per mu is only about 4,000 kilograms.
In addition to transforming desert sand, Professor Yi said current technology could also change particulate matter, allowing plants to grow under otherwise harsh conditions.
“We will also strive to industrialize and cooperate with the world, to combat desertification and restore degraded land and soil,” said Professor Yi.