Herdsmen in Bohu County of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region now remotely herd camels at home by leveraging advanced technology.
Dorjara, a herder from Bosten Lake Town in the county, raises over 200 camels. Now, he can remotely guide his herd to the populus euphratica forests 1.8 kilometers away from his home by operating an agricultural drone.
"We obtained our drone pilot licenses through learning. For example, in case of heavy fog and we can't see the road or when it's windy and rainy, we can use drones to observe where the camels are," he explained.
The herder also attached satellite positioning chips to the herd's leading camels to monitor the real-time location and activities of the herd on his smartphone at home. That coupled with drones have significantly enhanced the efficiency of managing camels.
"If we can't herd them ourselves, for instance when the weather is bad, we just use drones to drive the camels home or to places with better grass. This way, it's both time- and energy-saving," he explained.
Herdsman leverages agricultural drone to herd camels in Xinjiang
Flower breeding and cultivation bases across China are actively promoting new and healthier varieties of flowering trees and plants, helping create a brighter future for the country's famous springtime scenery.
In a peach blossom scenic area in Changde City of central China's Hunan Province, more than 50 varieties of peach blossoms are in full bloom, attracting flocks of visitors.
The varieties in the area come from the national peach germplasm resource bank in the city. Through artificial cultivation, not only are the varieties of flowers increasing, but the flowering period is also being extended.
According to researchers, one of the star varieties, noted for its rich color, took nearly 16 years to cultivate and promote in the scenic area.
"Its biggest feature is its strong resistance to gummosis. We can see that although a branch like this is damaged, there is no gummosis, so it has a long lifespan and can be used in gardens for a longer time," said Wang Yan, professor of the province's Changde Vocational and Technical College.
Gummosis is the formation of gummy substances on the surface of the trees, which often result from dead tissue.
At Phalaenopsis World, the country's largest phalaenopsis tissue culture center in Suqian City in east China's Jiangsu Province, technicians are cutting phalaenopsis seedlings into thin slices and planting them one by one in transparent bottles, allowing them to multiply exponentially.
"The breeding cycle is short, and the light, temperature and humidity can be freely adjusted artificially. The phalaenopsis bred using this technology have high uniformity and fast growth rate," said Wang Yanting, a plant inoculation specialist at the cultivation center.
Researchers said that the planting center uses more than 200 smart sensors and 5G technology to accurately control growth factors such as temperature, humidity, light, and ventilation to achieve "timed flowering."
"In fact, the natural flowering period of phalaenopsis should be from the beginning of the Chinese New Year to early May, and this is its natural state. Now we can intervene with technology and make it bloom any day we want. Phalaenopsis blooms through temperature regulation. At this time, we need to use air conditioning equipment, constant temperature equipment and dehumidification equipment," said Cao Guofeng, director of the cultivation base.
Breeding bases across China promote new spring flower varieties
