Xinjiang sets winter wheat yield records for a second year

With the summer grain harvest underway in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, one of China's major grain-growing areas, the region has set yield records for wheat.

According to an expert panel sent by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the yields of winter wheat on three large fields in northern Xinjiang's Ili Kazak autonomous prefecture broke national records for farmland of over 6.7, 67 and 670 hectares, the region's agriculture and rural affairs department said.

A record yield of 11.877 metric tons per hectare was achieved in a 33.5-hectare wheat field in Huocheng county.

The department added that the region has set national yield records for winter wheat for two consecutive years, and has completed more than 70 percent of its summer grain harvest this year.

"Methods used in experimental fields to achieve high yields can now be widely introduced in other large fields, which can significantly boost the region's grain output," said Tang Yiwu, director of the department's plantation administration.

Huocheng has stepped up cooperation with agricultural research institutes and adopted refined management on 217 large fields to achieve high yields, according to the county's agriculture and rural affairs department.

You Chengyong, an expert at the agricultural service station in Huocheng, said the 33.5-hectare wheat field that produced the record-breaking yield used a variety suitable for the county's environment.

"The wheat was planted in October last year by automated tractors guided by the Beidou Satellite Navigation System," You said.

"Also, we adopted water-efficient irrigation techniques, and used foliar fertilizer to boost plant growth."

A detailed guide for growing key grains in the county was distributed to farmers this year so they can master the latest agricultural techniques suitable for farmlands in Huocheng, the county department added.

China has attached great importance to promoting the use of modern technologies, such as automated tractors and drones, to improve the efficiency of seeding and applying fertilizers.