Li Zhaohu: Scientific and technological innovation promotes high-quality development of cotton planting in China

On June 17, at the 2021 China International Cotton Conference jointly sponsored by the China Cotton Association and the National Cotton Trading Market, Li Zhaohu, President of Huazhong Agricultural University, gave a speech entitled “ Speech on technological innovationpromoting highqualitydevelopment of China’s cotton cultivation”.

First of all, he introduced the great achievements made in my country’s cotton production from five aspects

1. Total cotton output doubled

Since the founding of New China, total cotton output has doubled, reaching 5.91 million tons last year, more than 12 times more than in 1949, and 1.2 times more than 1980. However, the average growth rate of output has gradually slowed down in recent years. Especially since 2010, the growth rate of output has not been high and has basically stabilized at the level of 6 million tons.

　2. The cotton sown area is large and the fluctuation range is large

In terms of planting area, the planting area is large and fluctuates greatly. Compared with 1949, there is also a significant increase. However, the area has fluctuated frequently in the past few decades. In recent years, the area has been around 50 million acres, lower than the average level in the past 70 years.

3. Yield levels continue to increase

Although the cotton planting area has declined in the past few years compared with its peak, the total output has also increased due to the increase in yield per unit area. The level of cotton production per unit area in my country continues to increase, which is an important factor in ensuring a stable total cotton output. For example, from 10.7 kg/mu in 1949 to 140 kg/mu last year, it increased by 10.5 times. The annual output growth is basically 1.6 kg/mu, showing a continuous upward trend overall.

4. Changes in cotton production layout

The domestic cotton layout has changed from the past three large areas to the northwestern inland, and Xinjiang’s sown area and output have accounted for more than 80%. From 1999 to 2010, only the area in Xinjiang increased, while the planting area in several major cotton-producing provinces, including Shandong, Hebei, Henan, and Jiangsu, decreased significantly in recent years.

5. my country’s cotton production and quality position in the world

my country’s cotton planting area ranks second in the world, accounting for 16%; its total output has ranked first in the world for many years, and is currently in the second position; its yield per unit area is significantly higher than the world average, and it has embarked on a path of high yields the road. In addition, the quality of my country’s cotton is at the upper-middle level in the world, and there is still a lot of room for improvement. In recent years, the cotton industry has achieved great results, ranking among the world’s advanced cotton-growing countries, and has embarked on a cotton development path with Chinese characteristics.

Secondly, it introduced the continuous innovation of cotton planting technology from three aspects

　1. Scientifically divide planting areas

First, over the past 70 years, my country’s structural adjustment has played an important role in zoning planting and management layout. In recent years, cotton has been continuously concentrated in the northwest inland, which has also been achieved through layout adjustment, optimization and industrial structure adjustment. There should be a clear judgment on suitable planting conditions and suitable planting range, which is also an important basis for us to ensure the future planting space of cotton.

　2. Cotton varieties change from shortage to balance to abundance

Our cotton varieties have gone from shortage to balance to abundance, and they have been continuously improved in terms of quality genetics, disease resistance has also been significantly improved, and the overall situation has been greatly improved. In addition, basic cotton breeding has developed rapidly in recent years, which also lays an important foundation for us to breed better varieties in the future and breed better varieties that meet market demand.

　3. Smart planting technology develops rapidly

Our country has made tremendous efforts to promote the integration of water and fertilizer and the improvement of technical equipment. As a country with highly modernized agriculture, our equipment technology is at the forefront of many countries. This has laid a good foundation for our sustainable development starting from the planting stage, and also provided strong technical support.

Finally, he put forward some thoughts on achieving high-quality development of the industry

1. Xinjiang cotton quality has great room for improvement

First, Xinjiang accounts for a large share of our main cotton distribution. The improvement of cotton quality is our main focus, and the industry’s demand for high-quality cotton is becoming increasingly strong. By improving quality and efficiency, we will promote the integrated development of the production chain, industrial chain and innovation chain.

　2. Reasons for the poor quality of cotton in Xinjiang

On the one hand, there are technical reasons, including the need for us to further refine the varieties, agricultural machinery and agronomic support, and planting links. In addition, there are also reasons for production and management links, which require the joint efforts of all of us.

　3. China can produce high-quality cotton

Through our joint efforts, we will be able to grow high-quality cotton and promote the open, inclusive and sustainable development of the cotton industry. We are also willing to further cooperate with the industry to jointly promote our development.

AAA

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