This year marks the inaugural launch of 20 large-scale, whole-county initiatives aimed at boosting crop yields per unit area across China. Changchun City in Jilin Province is among the selected regions. Situated in the heart of the Northeast's black soil zone, Changchun cultivates premium corn and rice. What new methods are being deployed on this fertile land to ensure stable and increased grain production? Let's explore the cornfields with our reporter.

Unlocking the Formula for Higher Yields

Shortly after a rain shower, a crowd of local villagers gathered in the experimental fields of the Changchun National Agricultural High-Tech Zone. Currently, the corn in the main fields is in its grain-filling stage. With strong winds, consecutive high temperatures, and several rounds of heavy rainfall taking turns, the villagers are anxious about one thing: will this year's harvest hold up?

Zhang Jie, a seasoned farmer who planted 1.5 hectares of corn this year, is most concerned about lodging resistance, a key factor determining yield, given the frequent severe weather events in recent years. The integrated yield-boosting technology promoted in the test fields—the "wide-narrow row" dense planting model—has won him over completely. Traditionally, he favored wide row spacing. Now, the system of 40-centimeter narrow rows and 80-centimeter wide rows increases plant density from 60,000 to 90,000 plants per hectare, directly raising the yield per unit area. The narrow rows allow for higher density, while the wide rows ensure better ventilation, maximizing the use of sunlight and airflow. The varieties are also newly developed, tolerant of dense planting and suitable for mechanical harvesting at maturity.

Nutrition is also key. The combination of deep plowing with straw incorporation and precise integrated water-fertilizer management ensures the corn is "fed frequently in small amounts." Chen Wenbo, head of the demonstration field for rational dense planting at the Jilin Changchun National Agricultural High-Tech Zone, explained, "The drip irrigation tube is here. The fertilizer is dissolved into the water and delivered directly to the root zone. It's very close to the roots, allowing for rapid nutrient absorption. This makes fertilizer use highly efficient, saves water, and improves fertilizer utilization rates."

By integrating good farmland, good seeds, good machinery, and good methods, the corn is both "densely housed" and "well-fed."

From Seed to Field: Laser Technology Boosts Yield Potential

Beyond promoting dense planting, what other technologies is Changchun using to tap into further yield potential? CCTV reporter Liu Yuexin observed, "In the laser test field at the Jilin Changchun National Agricultural High-Tech Zone, these lights emit a specific ratio of red and blue light. Laser irradiation effectively enhances the crops' ability to utilize sunlight and provides timely supplemental lighting during cloudy or rainy weather." The two rows of corn under the light strips are visibly sturdier and thicker.

Yang Minglai, deputy director of the Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Agriculture, noted, "The lights turn on two hours before sunrise and stay on until two hours after sunset. This extended light exposure allows the corn to tassel and fruit earlier, also improving quality."

Supplementing light for crops is one application of lasers in the field. However, in the laboratory, this technology has been advanced to "a single seed"—building a solid foundation before sowing. Laser seed strengthening equipment uses red and blue lasers to irradiate seeds, enhancing their vitality and germination rate. This achieves yield increases purely through physical means, without chemical intervention. This technology has also overcome the challenge of poor seed vitality in special varieties like fresh corn.

Yang Minglai explained, "The biggest problem with fresh corn is poor seed vigor, requiring large quantities of seeds when planting. Now, using lasers for seed strengthening and breeding improves the germination rate and vigor. This means fewer seeds are needed, and it allows for more standardized and normalized planting during production."

Protective Cultivation: Farming and Nurturing the Land Simultaneously

New techniques are being implemented alongside a transformation in farming practices. The goal is to cultivate and restore the black soil's vitality simultaneously. Protective cultivation begins with straw mulching and reduced or no-tillage. Building on this, the promotion of ridge-to-flat tillage is better suited for mechanical deep loosening—using a subsoiler to break up deep soil layers, effectively "loosening the bonds" of the black soil.

Zheng Hongbing, a professor at Jilin Agricultural University, explained, "Northeast soil is clayey, with high clay content and rapid compaction. After deep loosening, deep loosening furrows are created. Rainfall in the Northeast is currently uneven, often coming as intense downpours, which is a key cause of waterlogging. Deep loosening breaks up the hardpan, allowing natural rainfall to infiltrate and be stored in the soil through these furrows, creating a 'soil reservoir.'"

The "soil reservoir" Zheng mentions is the core value of deep loosening: breaking the hardpan allows rain to seep into the soil rather than pooling on the surface. This simultaneously conserves water, mitigates waterlogging, and reduces surface runoff and the loss of soil organic matter. Above ground, another method of nurturing the land is also underway—rational intercropping and crop rotation to enhance above- and below-ground biodiversity. This year, local efforts promote the intercropping of soybeans and corn: next year, this year's corn strips will be planted with soybeans, and vice versa, rotating the crops.

Chen Guoshuang, a senior engineer at the Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, stated, "The benefit is that through the promoting effects of different species intercropping, the biodiversity of the underground soil is enhanced. Soybeans also have nitrogen-fixing and fertility-preserving functions. Improving nitrogen fixation capacity boosts corn yields the following year, increasing grain output while improving the soil."