STORY: Saline-alkali soil turns into fertile land in Baicheng, China
DATELINE: Sept. 29, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:24
LOCATION: BAICHENG, China
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. various of scenery of Baicheng
2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): MA WEI, Associate researcher at Institute of Rice, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences
3. various of scenery of Baicheng

STORYLINE:

Saline-alkali land is becoming a new growth point for grain supply in western Jilin.

In the city of Baicheng, efforts have been made to turn the saline-alkali soil into arable land.

SOUNDBITE (Chinese): MA WEI, Associate researcher at Institute of Rice, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences
"Firstly, our approach involves land transformation before introducing a rice variety. The soil needs to be improved before we can cultivate this rice variety. However, we've made a shift in our strategy. We are now focusing on cultivating salt and alkali-tolerant varieties first. Once they are ready, we plant them in saline-alkali soil. This approach helps us save on the costs of soil improvement.
Secondly, we are emphasizing water conservation. We have proposed water-saving alkali treatment. The issue of excessive salt and alkali in saline-alkali soil is traditionally managed by flushing and irrigating with large quantities of water. This practice would result in a substantial waste of water resources, if done without proper scientific guidance. Now our researchers are conducting experiments to determine the most water-efficient irrigation methods for different levels of saline-alkali soil. Simultaneously, we aim to achieve effective salt removal and alkali reduction."

Over the years, Baicheng has achieved a successful transformation of its land.

For nine consecutive years, Baicheng has held the title of being the top rice-producing city in Jilin Province.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Baicheng, China.
(XHTV)