Cotton is a temperature-loving and drought-tolerant crop, but continued high temperatures will still have an adverse impact on it. Temperatures above 35°C are considered extreme temperatures for cotton growth and development. At present, more than 1,200 acres of machine-picked cotton in Jingmen Zhongxiang are in the budding period. Hubei Daily reporters at the scene were surprised to find that there are only three technicians to manage and protect the huge cotton field. How can the 1,200 acres of cotton field be protected from the heat?
Drip irrigation is very particular
A team of 3 people manages more than 1,200 acres of cotton fields
In Luxichang Village, Chaihu Town, Zhongxiang City, the management of more than 1,200 acres of cotton fields is a three-person technical team specially hired from Xinjiang by Hubei Yinfeng Cotton Co., Ltd.: Li Yueling, general manager of Xinjiang Dibang Hengxin Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.; Zhang Qinze, a “cotton expert” with more than 40 years of experience in cotton cultivation, and Li Yang, a dark and sturdy technician.
“Buds in July, flowers in August, and peaches in September coincide with the high temperature weather in Hubei.” Li Yueling said that compared with the vegetative growth of roots, stems, and leaves, cotton is more sensitive to high temperatures during the flowering and fruiting process. , Excessive temperature will cause the buds to fall off and affect cotton yield. The weather is uncontrollable, but the comfort of cotton growing can be adjusted. Through integrated management of water, fertilizer and medicine, the harm caused by high temperature can be minimized.
“Cotton is like people. It is necessary to take a bath and drink more water when it is hot.” Zhang Qinze explained in detail how to use drip irrigation facilities to lower the ground temperature and reduce heat damage in cotton fields.
“Don’t drink too much at one time. The soil here is too sticky, so flooding it with water will add fuel to the fire.” Too much water in the soil will “mush” it, making the roots airtight and reducing its absorption capacity, affecting the Metabolism can also cause ring shedding and disease. Therefore, drip irrigation should be used to replenish water in cotton fields, which is suitable for soaking the roots of cotton plants. Small amounts and multiple times should be used.
“The water temperature cannot be too low.” Just like if a person drinks ice water on a hot day, his head will be “cold”. If the drip irrigation water source is deep groundwater, the temperature difference between the drip irrigation water and the environment is too large, which will cause the young branches and leaves at the top of the cotton plant to ” Cataplexy”.
It is also crucial to prevent cotton from losing fat due to continued high temperatures and heat. The climate in Hubei is suitable for cotton cultivation. Cotton also grows vigorously at night in summer, and consumption increases significantly. “Eating well and eating well” can make cotton plants stronger, improve their ability to withstand stress, and withstand high temperatures. At the same time, using some functional foliar fertilizers can also indirectly play a role in preventing heatstroke and drought. Spraying on the leaves can effectively regulate the opening of leaf stomata, reduce water loss, and prevent premature aging of cotton caused by high temperature and drought. “It’s like the cool moisturizing sunscreen spray that people use.” Li Yueling joked.
“How good is cotton? Look at its four inverted leaves.” Zhang Qinze turned over a cotton leaf and pointed to the inconspicuous droplets about the size of sesame seeds on the main vein on the back of the leaf, about 2 centimeters away from the petiole. Introduced to all media reporters from Hubei Daily. The inverted four leaves of cotton are the functional leaves of cotton. They refer to the fourth leaf from the first fully expanded leaf at the top of the main stem of cotton. They can be used to judge the growth status of cotton and the management of fertilizer and water. “For this drop of glue, yellow means excess fat, which means ‘overeating’; black means there are diseases and insect pests, and the right medicine must be taken. This one is milky white, which proves that it is very healthy.” Zhang Qinze said happily.
The underground pipe network is “worth the money spent”
People don’t have to worry about “drinking” while lying on cotton at home
“This is the first time that Hubei has introduced shallow-buried drip irrigation water and fertilizer integrated technology for large-area trial planting machines to pick cotton.” Li Yueling said that many infrastructures were started from scratch, including water sources, electricity, water and fertilizer integrated drip irrigation systems, intelligent control systems… The investment is large.
Beside the field, there is a blue stainless steel room of more than 40 square meters, which is the central computer room of the intelligent drip irrigation system. The red fertilizer tank, white mixing barrel, and automatic pressurized water pump; the intelligent control cabinet has 5 buttons, 3 indicator lights, and 1 screen. It may seem simple but it is currently the leading patent in the country. In the field, specially customized black drip irrigation tapes are placed close to the foot of each row of cotton plants, criss-crossing them. More are invisible investments, with laying underground pipe networks accounting for more than 70% of the total cost. “The entire intelligent drip irrigation system integrating water, fertilizer and medicine adjustment costs more than 400 yuan per mu.”
It’s money well spent. “With 125 solar valves, you can control which area you want to water and how long you want to water it on your mobile phone.” Li Yang picked up his mobile phone to demonstrate, giving the cotton fields regular and quantitative “cold drinks.” “When I’m on a business trip in Xi’an, I can use my mobile phone to water, fertilize, and apply medicine to the cotton fields.” Li Yueling said with a smile. She can “keep track” of the cotton fields at any time while lying down at home. On the beam of the blue board house, there is a laptop-sized transmitting base station, which can control signal coverage up to 6 kilometers, and can manage more cotton fields in the future. The drip irrigation system has a service life of at least 10 years, so it is more cost-effective when spread out evenly.
“All the extra money spent can be saved from the reduced cost of fertilizers and labor expenses. If we achieve a yield of 300 kilograms per mu this year, we can make more money.” Li Yueling estimated that the integrated intelligent water, fertilizer and medicine adjustment The irrigation system allows water, nutrients, etc. to be more accurately transported to the root soil of cotton through drip irrigation, improving irrigation efficiency and fertilization accuracy, and increasing fertilizer utilization by 8 times. The drip irrigation system not only saves fertilizer, medicine, and labor, but she is also very optimistic about the yield estimate. </p
