Source: Baidu

The "sickle-shape" region includes the northeast cold region, the northern agriculture-animal husbandry ecotone, the northwest sandy and arid areas, areas along the Taihang mountain, and the southwest rocky desertification area. Resembling a northeast-north-southwest-northwest sickle-shape area in the map, these areas are the key areas for the structural adjustment of corn growing areas. These areas are typical dry-farming area and animal husbandry development advantageous area, where the ecological environment is fragile and the corn yield is low and unstable.

Key regions for corn structure adjustment in the "sickle-shape" region

1. Northeast cold region

Regional characteristics: Located in high latitude, high and cold areas, this region includes northern Heilongjiang Province, the fourth and fifth accumulated temperature zones in northeastern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and mountainous areas in eastern Jilin Province, where the ≥10℃ accumulated temperature is from 1,900-2,300℃. With a long and cold winter and a short summer, the frost-free season lasts for only 90+ days. Due to the relatively large temperature difference between day and night, crops are likely to be negatively affected by low temperature, cold damage and early frost, etc. Years of continuous corn growing has resulted in soil hardening and serious phytotoxicity of herbicide residue, which negatively influences the improvement of grain yield of per unit area and the enhancement of quality.

Main orientation: Striving to reduce the area of grain corn by over 666,667 ha (10 million mu). The following crops can be planted instead: silage corn, forage rape, medicago, soybean, strong gluten spring wheat, and hard red spring wheat.

2. Northern agriculture-animal husbandry region

Regional characteristics: This region is the transitional region that connects farming areas and grassland ecological zones, including areas from various provinces and regions, such as Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Hebei, Shaanxi, Gansu, etc. The climate in this region is semi-arid and sub-humid. In this region, although the land resources are rich and the thermal conditions are good, there is a shortage of water resources and the soil degradation and sandification are serious, so this region is where many types of disasters occur frequently and cause great losses. Among the disasters, drought has the highest probability of occurrence, with the widest influence and the most serious extend of damage.

Main orientation: Striving to reduce the area of grain corn by more than 2 million ha (30 million mu). The following crops can be planted instead: soybean, peanut, coarse cereals and beans, forage, forage rape, drought-tolerant coarse cereals and beans, potato, economical fruits and drought- and salt-tolerant psammophytes.

3. Northwestern sandy and arid region

Regional characteristics: Located in the northwestern inland area, in the north of Kunlun Mountains, Altun Mountains, Qilian Mountains, Baiyu Mountain, and Daqing Mountain, this region includes the following provinces/ regions: Xinjiang, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia. Belonging to the droughty desert climate, this region is dry and rainless, with abundant solar-thermal resources. With a large temperature difference between day and night, the ≥10℃ accumulated temperature is from 2,800-4,400℃, and the frost-free season lasts for 115 to 210 days. There is a shortage of water resources and the desertification and salinization of oasis are serious. The grassland is degenerated, and the farming ecological environment is fragile.

Main orientation: Striving to reduce the area of grain corn by 333,333 ha (5 million mu). The following crops can be planted instead: flax, oil sunflower, forage rape, silage corn, medicago, salt- and drought-tolerant mandulapalka for oil and feed use and other psammophytes.

4. Areas along the Taihang Mountains

Regional characteristics: Located in the south of Mount Wutai and in the north of Funiu Mountain, this region includes mountainous areas in eastern Shanxi Province and western Hebei Province. The weather is cool there. From north to south, the climate gradually changes from semi-arid to sub-humid, with an annual precipitation of 500-600 mm. With the north side higher than the south, the altitude of this region is 800-1,000 meters. Dry farming pervades, the dryland accounts for more than 80% of the total cultivated area. With shallow soil, the soil erosion is serious. Due to the poor basic agricultural conditions and because of lack of irrigation facilities, spring drought and summer drought take place frequently, so the corn yield is low and unstable.

Main orientation: Striving to reduce the area of grain corn by 133,333 ha (2 million mu). The following crops can be planted instead: coarse cereals and beans, silage corn, chestnut, walnut, hawthorn, vegetables, and Chinese herbal medicines.

5. Southwestern rocky desertification area

Regional characteristics: Located in the east of Hengduan Mountains and in the west of Dayao Mountain, this region's main part is the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, including the following provinces and regions: Guangxi, Yunnan, and Guizhou. With a temperate and subtropical humid and semi-humid climate, the hydrothermal condition in this region is relatively good. More than 80% of the land is hilly, mountainous areas and plateau, with an altitude of 500-2,500 meters. In this rolling area, agriculture is stereoscopic. However, the lighting conditions are poor, and spring drought, summer drought, and autumn drought usually occur. The complicated landform is not conducive to agricultural scale management and mechanized production. The karst landforms are widespread, the rocky desertification is serious, and the agricultural ecological system is fragile.

Main orientation: Striving to reduce the area of grain corn by 333,333 ha (5 million mu). The following crops can be planted instead: coarse cereals and beans, tea leaf, walnut, oil-tea camellia, Chinese herbal medicines, feed-use ramie, feed-use mulberry, mandulapalka for oil and feed use and artificial grassland.

This article comes from Seed China News 1609, CCM

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Tag:  seed  corn

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