Can an endless desert really be turned into an oasis of "abundant grass"?How is sand, which is difficult to store water and nutrients, transformed into cohesive soil step by step?
Some people ask, why has "everything grows in the soil" become an ancient saying?Why can "thousands of purples and thousands of reds" be bred in the soil, but there is no grass on the gravel?This mystery reveals the core difference between soil and sand grains - soil particles have a "ten thousand binding constraint relationship" that sand particles do not have. This binding force allows the soil to circulate and self-regulate in both solid and flow**, and has a strong ability to store air, water, nutrients and nourish microorganisms.
In 2009, a research team at Chongqing Jiaotong University led by Yi Zhijian discovered the "universal binding force" between soil particles, opening up new possibilities for the dream of "turning sand and gravel into soil" and "turning desert into an oasis". They drew inspiration from plants to create a plant-based fiber binder, which provided a "universal constraint" between the sand and gravel, so that the "desert soilization" gradually evolved from conjecture to reality.
However, the success of laboratory operations has not demonstrated the "universality" of the new soil. Therefore, since 2016, the research team has conducted field planting experiments in Ulan Buhe, Inner Mongolia. The results are exciting, with tens of thousands of acres of greenery growing luxuriantly in the desert originally covered with loess.
At that time, the research team chose 25 acres of desert land as the "experimental area", and with the success of the first year of the experiment, the following year they rented 4,000 acres of desert land for large-scale planting. However, they also face the problem of how to find the most efficient and high-yield cultivation method in different desert regions
In order to solve this problem, the research team built a "field plant phenotype acquisition system robot", equipped with a binocular camera and lidar, and used spectral imaging to collect first-hand data. The introduction of this technology has made data collection easier, but it faces the challenge of how to process large amounts of diverse data.
To this end, Tencent Cloud Data Center has cooperated with the project team of Chongqing Jiaotong University to establish a joint laboratory for desert ecology research. Since 2018, the two have worked together to develop a complete set of "smart agriculture" systems, including a "nano edge integrated cabinet", which has become China's first single-change data center with natural cooling, with more than 2,000 times the work efficiency of ordinary computers.
Thanks to the unremitting efforts of the Chongqing Jiaotong University project team and Tencent Group, more than 17,000 acres of desert in China have been turned into "oases". The once uninhabited yellow sand land has now become a paradise for plants and animals. The importance of tackling desertification goes far beyond the threat of dust storms to northern cities, but the rate of global desertification expansion of 570,000 square kilometres per year. If we don't pay attention to it and manage it in time, we will lose our homes sooner or later.
This project, proposed by Chongqing Jiaotong University, is of remarkable significance, and "desert soilization" is promising. In fact, back in September 2017, the UAE delegation looked at the project. The UAE region is threatened with desertification, with an average annual rainfall of less than 100 mm. During the inspection, they were shocked to see the results achieved by many desert wetland planting sites in the interior of China.
After on-site visits and serious exchanges, the UAE ** signed a cooperation agreement with Chongqing Jiaotong University. The research team of Chongqing Jiaotong University will send people to the interior of the UAE to carry out field planting, and the UAE** will fully support the project. The extreme environment of the Abu Dhabi region is critical to validating the feasibility of desert soiling. If the project is successful, the development of agriculture and animal husbandry in China will flourish and contribute to the world's desertification control.
What is even more pleasing is that the "desert" through soiling is not only able to grow a large number of crops, but also produces extremely impressive crops. According to the data, the highest yield of sorghum experimental fields in Inner Mongolia reached 932 kg, and its average yield per mu was as high as 789 kg, far exceeding the average yield per mu of sorghum planting in China.
The soiled desert not only grows food, but also produces a high yield. This is precisely the original goal of the Soil Desertification Project. In addition to growing food, the project was able to bring a lot of vegetation to the barren desert. Many plants that are less demanding on the environment can grow there without even artificial irrigation. Isn't that the best way to eradicate deserts?The full promotion is in sight, please wait and see.
Chongqing Jiaotong University and Tencent have joined hands to create "smart agriculture", turning 17,000 acres of desert into a green home, stunning the world
This article showcases a striking scientific achievement – the miracle of transforming a desert into an oasis. Through the unremitting efforts and innovation of the research team of Chongqing Jiaotong University, they successfully used plant-based fiber binders to break the limitation of "10,000 combined constraints" of sand and gravel, making desert soilization possible. This achievement has not only been successful in the laboratory, but also achieved outstanding results in field planting experiments in Ulan Buhe, Inner Mongolia, turning the huge loess desert into tens of thousands of acres of green cover area.
The "Field Plant Phenotyping System Robot" mentioned in the article and the cooperation with Tencent Cloud data centers demonstrate the positive role of technology in solving environmental problems. The introduction of this smart technology has made data collection much easier, and the partnership with Tencent is an important step forward in data processing. This not only improves work efficiency, but is also expected to provide more feasible technical support for similar environmental projects.
Not only that, but the article also highlights the global significance of desert soilization. With the annual expansion rate of global desertification of 570,000 square kilometers, the importance of controlling desertification is particularly urgent. The authors further highlight the international impact of the project by citing the case of the UAE. The cooperation between Chongqing Jiaotong University and the United Arab Emirates has promoted the successful experience of desert soilization to the international stage, demonstrating the active efforts of Chinese and foreign research teams in jointly tackling global challenges.
The results of this research are not only for the protection of the natural environment, but also for the global Sustainable Development Goals. The "smart agriculture" system mentioned in the article, along with the high yield of crops, offers the possibility of agricultural production on desert land. The promotion of this technology is not only expected to solve the ecological problems caused by desertification, but also play a positive role in promoting food security and sustainable use of global resources.
Overall, the article vividly demonstrates the practical application of scientific and technological innovation in the field of environmental protection, emphasizing the importance of international cooperation in solving global problems. By turning arid deserts into oases, this achievement not only affects the local ecosystem, but also provides new hope for the sustainable development of human society. It is hoped that this scientific research project can be supported and promoted more to create a better future for our planet.
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