Water and Fertilizer Robot, "AI + Drone" New Agricultural Equipment Become the Main Force of Spring Management and Lay a Solid Foundation for Summer Grain Harvest

From: CCTV.com

The year’s plan starts in spring. Many regions across the country are entering the critical spring irrigation period. According to the Ministry of Water Resources, the overall soil moisture conditions are suitable nationwide. Water levels in key reservoirs are nearly 10% higher than the same period last year. River inflows are roughly the same as last year. Overall, spring agricultural irrigation water supply is assured.

Spring irrigation area nationwide has reached 57 million acres.

To ensure sufficient water for spring irrigation, the Yellow River Water Resources Committee of the Ministry of Water Resources increased the outflow from the Xiaolangdi Reservoir to 1,350 cubic meters per second in early March, preparing for the upcoming peak water demand. The latest data from the Ministry shows that 16 provinces have started spring irrigation, with a total water supply of 4.9 billion cubic meters, irrigating 57 million acres. Among them, 1,040 large and medium-sized irrigation districts have begun irrigation, supplying 3.9 billion cubic meters of water, irrigating 29 million acres.

Zhoukou, Henan: Winter wheat turns green and enters jointing stage. Smart equipment supports spring management.

In Zhoukou, Henan Province, over 11 million acres of winter wheat are entering the greening and jointing stage. During this spring management period, new agricultural equipment such as AI-controlled water and fertilizer robots and AI-enabled plant protection drones have become “helpful assistants” for farmers’ field management.

In Shangshui County, Zhoukou City, the high-standard farmland is lush with green wheat seedlings, like a carpet covering the land, full of vitality. Following commands, a spray gun nearby sprays long water jets to irrigate and fertilize the wheat. Farmers say that the AI-enabled water and fertilizer robots can monitor environmental data in real-time and make autonomous decisions on water and fertilizer amounts, ensuring the wheat gets enough water and nutrients. Besides the robots, plant protection drones are also key players in spring management. In Wulou Village, Wangdian Township, Huaiyang District, Zhoukou City, agricultural technicians are using drones to spray foliar fertilizer.

Currently, Zhoukou has built 10.54 million acres of high-standard farmland, accounting for 94% of the city’s permanent basic farmland. Cloud computing, IoT, AI ecological weather stations, pest monitoring devices, and other facilities work together to provide farmers with timely, precise information services, making spring management more efficient.

Yuncheng, Shanxi: 4.35 million acres of late-sown wheat turn green, busy spring management on the fields.

Recently, 4.35 million acres of late-sown wheat in Yuncheng, Shanxi, have entered the greening stage. Grain farmers are racing against time to carry out spring management, while agricultural technicians are working in the fields to lay a solid foundation for a bumper summer harvest.

In Pinglu County, grain farmer Zhao Wenbin’s plant protection drone slowly takes off, heading toward 560 acres of wheat. Zhao says, “Manual spraying covers about 60 acres a day, while the drone can cover over 500 acres. It costs about 15 yuan per acre manually, but less than 10 yuan with the drone.”

In Huangfen, Yuncheng, at the 100,000-acre high-quality, high-yield, and efficient grain demonstration base, machinery shuttles back and forth, with the sound of engines. Drip irrigation lines are evenly laid across the fields. Local efforts promote integrated “drip irrigation + water and fertilizer” technology, delivering water and nutrients directly to crop roots, saving water, increasing efficiency, and reducing costs.

Besides technological support, Yuncheng’s agricultural department has dispatched technicians to guide farmers starting from the greening period, providing foliar fertilization and plant growth regulators to support weak and young late-sown seedlings. For key spring management tasks, technical personnel have also provided specific plans.