Way to Modernization: NW China modern corn seed production base guarantees future harvests

China is the world’s second largest corn producer and consumer. The northwestern city of Zhangye produces about half of the country’s corn seeds. CGTN’s GUO TIANQI reports.

Autumn is the season for the corn harvest, but in Zhangye City, in northwest China’s Gansu Province, these are not ordinary corn kernels, but seeds.

In this national corn seed production base, the annual planting area is more than 70,000 hectares, with an annual output of 530,000 tonnes of high-quality hybrid corn seeds in more than 1,600 variety combinations. It accounts for nearly 50 percent of the country’s corn seed production, with quality directly related to corn output.

GUO TIANQI Zhangye, Gansu Province “This is commercial corn produced from the seeds of this hybrid variant. It’s very different in terms of size and color, but the advantages only last for a single crop. So new seeds need to be planted every season.”

Hybrid corn has the advantages of strong disease resistance and high yield, but if you want to maintain these advantages, you must keep the cultivation environment pure.

Zhangye is located on an oasis to the west of the Yellow River. The Qilian Mountains to the south and the surrounding desert, can effectively prevent the invasion of foreign pollen. The Heihe River, China’s second largest inland river, also provides clean meltwater.

With these unique geographical advantages, Zhangye was selected by scientists as the best place to produce corn seed in China. Modern seed companies are also moving in.

YAO SHENGCAI Deputy General Manager Gansu Zhongzuo Agricultural Technology Company “We have introduced the most advanced technology and equipment. When the corn is harvested from the field, it can be produced into packaged seeds automatically after drying, sorting, coating and other processes.”

Being such a vast country, different regions of China need corn seed that is suitable for local climatic conditions. So localised quality testing of seeds is an important part of the production process.

CHEN YAYA Inspector, Zhangye National Corn Seed Production Base “Normally, we test the moisture, germination rate, purity, and virus detection of the corn seeds. We can provide testing for corn seeds throughout the country, and issue a national-level test report certificate.”

These seeds can be stored at normal temperature for more than six years, waiting until spring to sprout in the soil throughout the country. GUO TIANQI, CGTN, Zhangye, Gansu Province.

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Tags: cultivation, Zhangye, China, harvest, corn, seeds, Production, yield, output