Scientific introduction of sandy watermelons has created an oasis in the desert

As we all know, the environmental conditions of a place will affect its economic development. In desertified areas, due to the harsh environment, poverty often goes hand in hand with them. What may be overlooked is that poverty will in turn further aggravate desertification, thus forming a vicious circle.

Scientists from the former Lanzhou Institute of Desert Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as the "Desert Institute", now incorporated into the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences) discovered in the long-term research on desert management that if the poverty problem is not solved, the causes of desertification cannot be eliminated and the fundamental restoration of desertified land cannot be achieved.

So how can we fight against the forces of nature and break the link between desertification and poverty?

The answer is to use science and technology to help alleviate poverty, and to apply practical scientific and technological research and development results directly to poverty alleviation, so as to promote the social and economic development of poor areas. Therefore, the Naiman Desertification Research Station of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as "Naiman Station") came into being.

Sand dunes turning green under forest cover

Naiman Station is located in Naiman Banner in the heart of Horqin Desert. It focuses on the causes and processes of desertification, the research on the formation mechanism and control technology of desertification, the monitoring of sand ecosystems, and the establishment of science popularization and farmer and herdsman training including graduate students.

In order to control desertified land, Naiman Station has adopted a variety of methods, such as fencing off both sides of the railway embankment, and planting shrub forests dominated by native plants, tree forests and sand-fixing vegetation combined with grass nets in areas with severe desertification. These measures have achieved remarkable results in the prevention and control of wind and sand disasters on the embankment of the Naiman section of the Beijing-Tongliao Railway, and have been greatly recognized by the local government, railway department and nearby residents.

Shrub sand-fixing forest planted at Naiman Station in 1985 (Mr. Dong Shudi, fruit tree cultivation expert)

Image source: Photo by Wang Kangfu

The results are good, but in fact the prevention and control process requires overcoming many difficulties. You must know that if you want to demonstrate sand prevention and control technologies in agricultural and pastoral areas, especially breeding technologies, in addition to facing the problems of serious wind and sand hazards and poor soil, you also have to face the challenges of insufficient professional talents, low accumulation of professional skills, and the need to improve the awareness of farmers and herdsmen.

The courage to face challenges is a basic quality of scientists. With the support of this spirit of daring to face challenges, Mr. Wang Kangfu, the old station director, led the scientific researchers in the station to choose Yaoledianzi Village, 5 kilometers away from Naiman Station, as a demonstration village.

Initially, the work was difficult to carry out. In order to make progress, Naiman Station first carried out a sand management demonstration using mainly native shrubs in areas with severe desertification around the demonstration village, namely the tall moving sand dune area.

In accordance with the arrangements of the scientific researchers, the villagers planted a sand-fixing forest belt mainly composed of branches of drought-resistant, salt-resistant and wind-resistant native shrubs such as Artemisia chaenomeles, Caragana microphylla and Salix yellow when the rainy season came.

The demonstration turned out to be a success!

As the forest belt grew, the village cadres and villagers laughed as they looked at the moving sand dunes gradually turning green under its coverage. The children's laughter also echoed long from the green bushes.

Yaoledianzi Village under the shelterbelt in June 2021

Image source: Photo by Zhao Xueyong

A "desert village" filled with the fragrance of fruits and vegetables

In order to further untie the ties between poverty and desertification, scientists have come up with a way to improve villagers' living standards in order to mobilize their participation in desertification management and the adjustment of land use methods.

Supported by this idea, Naiman Station selected Yaoledianzi Village, where desertification is most serious, as a demonstration village, and carried out a series of poverty alleviation demonstration work to increase production and efficiency in the breeding industry, including the introduction of new varieties of wheat, corn, fruits and vegetables, and the management of water, fertilizer, grass and crops.

This poverty alleviation demonstration work selected three households in the demonstration village as demonstration households, and took the P2 watermelon (introduced from Lanzhou, also known as Jinhuabao), which is suitable for sandy soil, arid climate, high-yield and not available locally, as the starting point to carry out courtyard-scale watermelon planting technology experiments and demonstrations, including vegetable introduction technology and fruit tree management.

The researchers knew that the villagers were looking forward to a better life, and the station also wanted to do something useful and bring some "golden flowers" and hopeful results to the villagers. With such earnest expectations, at the end of that year, the per capita income of the demonstration households exceeded 1,000 yuan.

This was "huge" news for the remote rural areas of Naiman Banner, which was a national poverty-stricken county at the time. In the winter, the Naiman Banner Committee and Government set up a watermelon office to guide, supervise and provide services for watermelon planting throughout the banner. The following year, most of the farmers in Yaoledianzi Village planted watermelons and had a good harvest.

Sandy watermelons after the harvest in 1984 (from right: Zhao Cunyu, Shi Laicheng, and Professor Jiang Jin)

Image source: Photo by Wang Kangfu

Due to proper variety selection, suitable soil and climate, and scientific water and fertilizer management, the quality of watermelon is also superb: thin skin, red flesh, crisp texture, few seeds, and sweet taste.

The sandy watermelons of Naiman Banner have not only occupied the market in Tongliao City and Chifeng City, but also been exported to Liaoning, Jilin and Beijing. It is said that neighboring areas have invited demonstration households to the fields to directly teach watermelon planting, from seed selection, seed treatment to seedling cultivation and field management, almost the entire chain.

In the local area, as long as the local watermelons of Naiman Banner are on the market, the watermelons from other places have to be withdrawn from the market. As a result, Naiman Station has become a "brand" for villagers and watermelon dealers. If someone asks a watermelon dealer or a villager: "How is the quality of your watermelon?" Many watermelon dealers or villagers will tell them: "No problem, our cultivation technology and variety selection are supported by the Institute of Desert Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences."

In addition, Naiman Station has introduced and cultivated more than 30 varieties of fruits, vegetables and grains, most of which have been successful. Coupled with the implementation of major national ecological projects, Horqin Sandy Land has become the first place in my country to achieve "overall reversal of regional land desertification."

Not only that, Naiman Station also won the "Successful Performance Award for Saving Arid Land" issued by the United Nations in 1997. The Naiman Banner's model of sand control and scientific and technological poverty alleviation was also selected by the United Nations Environment Program as one of the international sand control textbooks.

Time flies, and watermelon is a thing of the past 20 or 30 years. There are too many researchers who have left their footprints on the Horqin Sandy Land. Because of the presence of researchers, the support of the country, and the actions of the people, we can dance with the sand and create a green "plain", a harmonious environment of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasses, and sands, and a beautiful landscape of the northwest mountains and rivers of our motherland.

Editor: Wang Tingting

References

1. Zhao Halin, Zhao Xueyong, Zhang Tonghui, and Wu Wei (eds.), Desertification Process and Restoration Mechanism of Horqin Sandy Land, Beijing: Ocean Press, 2003.

2. Cui Jianyuan, Zhang Tonghui, 1999, Effects of different nitrogen application rates on plant and ear characteristics and yield of spring wheat in sandy land, Chinese Journal of Deserts, 19(Supp.1):96-98.

3. Zhao Xueyong, Zhang Tonghui, Zhang Zhijian. 1999. Dynamic linear analysis of nutrient elements in the decomposition residues of wheat litter in sandy land. Chinese Journal of Deserts, 19(Supp.1):100-102.

4. Wang Kangfu. 1989. Preliminary study on comprehensive control of desertified land in Naiman area of ​​Horqin Sandy Land, Inner Mongolia. Chinese Journal of Deserts: 34-38.

Produced by: Science Popularization China

Produced by: Zhao Xueyong (Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Producer: China Science Expo