Chongqing - Southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality is developing new-generation information technologies such as the Internet of Things, big data, 5G, and artificial intelligence to help mountainous agriculture realize intelligence.
Located in Shuangxing Village, Xianlong Town, Yongchuan District, Chongqing, an intelligent seedling-raising factory invested by the Yongchuan District People’s Government of 12 million yuan (about USD 1.74 million) last year, covers an area of more than 4,600 square meters, with 20 sets of cyclic movement type seedling beds in it.
One factory for multiple purposes
This factory combines the latest equipment and integrates innovative seedling technology, including seed coating, seed selection and soaking, multi-level disinfection, intelligent high-speed assembly line sowing, automatic stacking, robot stacking, secret room germination, cyclic movement type three-dimensional seedling raising, foliage fertilization, smart light supplement and intelligent control of temperature and humidity phosgene and other functions.
In the intelligent seedling-raising factory located in Shuangxing Village, Xianlong Town, Yongchuan District, the seedlings are full of vitality. (Photo/Zhao Weiping)
“This is currently the largest intelligent seedling-raising factory in Chongqing, and the entire seedling-raising process has been fully automated,” said Guan Mingchun, the manager of the intelligent seedling-raising factory and director of Chongqing Xiannong Agricultural Machinery Professional Cooperative.
For example, after rice seeds are soaked, disinfected, sown, and germinated in a closed room, the seedling-raising greenhouse will adjust the temperature and humidity in real-time according to weather and intelligently fill in the ensure that the seedlings are heated evenly with suitable humidity and sufficient light.
“Raising seedlings in the factory only takes 15-25 days. It not only reduces the waste of seeds but also is not affected by the weather, which improves the efficiency of seedling raising and the survival rate of seedlings,” Guan added.
At present, the intelligent seedling-raising factory can raise 3,025 mu of seedlings in a single batch and four batches a year, which can meet the demand for seedlings of 12,000 mu of farmland.
The seedlings bred in this factory possess uniform quality, controllable environment, and have the advantages of saving water, fertilizer, land, and labor. After the seedling raising is over, the seedling-raising factory can also be used for vegetable seedling raising, fast-growing vegetable cultivation, etc., to realize multiple purposes in one factory.
Transformation of digital intelligence
The agricultural field is accelerating the transformation of digital intelligence, said the relevant person in charge of the Information Technology Department of the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Affairs.
The city has now built 270 municipal-level smart agriculture test and demonstration bases. Last year, our city’s overall agricultural and rural informatization development reached 43.3%, ranking first in China’s western region.
Chongqing will adhere to the development of digitalization and industrialization as the main line and build several application and promotion bases for the digital seed industry, planting industry, animal husbandry, and fishery.
Chongqing aims to build 200 new intelligent agriculture demonstration bases during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025). The overall level of digital agriculture and rural development will exceed 50%. We strive to build Chongqing into a demonstration area of Smart Agriculture and Digital Villages in the western region.