Era: I was a farmer at the foot of Yaoling Mountain

Chapter 104 Spring Sowing, Three-Line Hybrid Breeding Technology

Before leaving, Tang Ze kept telling her that if she encountered any difficulties, she could just come to him and he would help her as much as he could.

Fang Wei left the county compound and went to a restaurant on the street to eat a bowl of [Jiao Er Noodles].

This snack is actually just soup noodles with a few dumplings added, but the preparation is quite particular and it tastes quite delicious.

He then returned to the team.

The oil tickets were handed over to the accountant for safekeeping, and when they were used, they needed the signature and approval of Fang Wei or Zheng Hu.

"Third brother, the task of repairing the farmland water conservancy facilities is basically completed. You don't need to work from the day after tomorrow."

The project of renovating the water conservancy facilities was just completed, and Zheng Hu reported the matter to Fang Wei.

Next, everyone can take a short break, and then it will be the busy spring sowing season.

Fang Wei called the team cadres together to hold a meeting to discuss the next steps.

"20 mu of experimental land isn't enough. I think it should be expanded to 100 mu. One mu of land should be used to cultivate sterile rice varieties, and the remaining land, 49 mu, should be used to plant Nongken 58 and 50 mu to plant Nanguang No. ."

He decided to continue to increase his efforts in cultivating rice seeds because he had a hunch that by the time summer planting came, the two types of rice would definitely be in short supply.

No one would object to this kind of thing. Rice will still be planted in the fields. What does it matter if there are fewer large fields and more experimental fields?

Anyway, for the members, their main job is farming, there is no difference.

"Captain, if that's the case, the number of people in the breeding team will be far from enough."

Zheng Hu did not object, but he raised a practical problem. The existing staff of the breeding team could not take care of 100 acres of paddy fields.

"The number of people in the breeding team will not increase. There are not enough people in the experimental fields. The team assigns people to work, and we must obey their arrangements."

Fang Wei made the decision and everyone agreed.

Next, the team decided to plant soybeans on a large scale on the slopes, along with a smaller amount of peanuts. They also began transforming the collective oil-tea tree forest and actively cultivated a chestnut forest.

After the general direction was determined, Zheng Hu discussed the arrangements for spring plowing work.

"Zheng Hu is fully responsible for the spring plowing. Let's all get ready."

Seeing that all the topics had been discussed, Fang Wei ended the discussion.

It is definitely not a one-man show in the team. Team leaders all have the right to speak, but they basically have the final say on all matters big and small.

Because he has enough prestige and many halos to bless him, the team leaders have no intention of challenging his authority.

The advantage is that he is decisive in everything he does, but the disadvantage is that his fame is growing.

He left the office and wanted to go to the composting site.

The most important things for spring sowing are water, irrigation, land, fertilizer and weather.

He couldn't do anything about the weather, but it looked like there would be good weather this year. Besides, he had found a suitable location for digging a well again, so he could put it into practice when the opportunity arose.

Irrigation is guaranteed and the canals have been repaired, so there will be no delays in production.

The land in the team is relatively fertile. If it can be used with high-efficiency fertilizers, there will be no need to worry about crop yields.

Fang Wei walked towards the [composting site], wanting to see the preparations there, but was stopped halfway.

"Captain, a brother production team is here to buy rice seeds. Go back and take a look."

The person who stopped him said that someone came to exchange rice seeds, so he had to return to the team headquarters.

To be honest, he thought that this season was like this and everyone would chase after cheap rice seeds instead of looking for ways to exchange them.

But no matter what era, there are always smart people.

Some people discovered the possibility of decreasing rice seed yields, while others discovered that smart people like Wei Tuozi had already purchased rice seeds early on, and even purchased two types (Nanguang No. 58 and Nongken ).

Therefore, these production teams found Fang Wei before the spring plowing.

In a few days, the team exchanged another 1 kilograms of rice seeds and received 10 kilograms of rice.

There are still some [Nanguan No. 1] rice seeds left in the barn, as well as some first- and second-generation rice seeds, which are reserved for research purposes.

Then there were the rice seeds that the team needed and that could be used to exchange for the [Nongken 58] rice seeds, but not a single grain was left.

Excluding various types of seeds, there are still 29 kilograms of rice left in the barn. No wonder it makes many people jealous.

A few days passed quickly.

The team's spring plowing work has started, and two hand tractors are the absolute main force, galloping in the fields.

Mechanized tillage is highly efficient, saving a lot of labor and taking less time. After plowing the fields, the members spread base fertilizer to fertilize the fields, which is much faster than manually plowing the fields and applying fertilizer at the same time.

Fang Wei and his elder brother took some time to tidy up their own private plots. As for another acre of sloping land, Deng Yuanen drove around it on his tractor during his lunch break and turned it over in no time.

If anyone needs help with their private plot, he will always respond, and the team has agreed to this.

"Old Three, what are you planting on that slope over there?"

As always, Fang Ping would discuss with his third brother what to plant at this time.

"This season, we'll plant soybeans on one acre of sloping land, and use the rest of the land at home to grow vegetables."

There was nothing to worry about, and Fang Wei quickly came up with an idea.

The slope can be used for three planting seasons: soybeans in the first season, glutinous rice in the second season, and peanuts in the third season.

My eldest brother’s family’s private plot can be used to grow vegetables, and he can also grow vegetables on his own piece of land, which is easy to plan and manage.

"Third brother, you've handled everything else very well, but the sideline group is only in name only, with only 20 acres of flue-cured tobacco. What are you going to do next?"

After talking about his own affairs, Fang Ping changed the subject and talked about the team's affairs.

The sideline business group used to be in charge of tobacco curing, pig farming, oil tea plantations and other matters, but later they were gradually withdrawn, and now only a little tobacco curing remains.

Most of the people in the sideline group have returned to the team, leaving less than 10 people guarding it.

"There was no other way before, but the breeding group kept getting bigger and bigger. I thought I'd just give you the flue-cured tobacco business as well, and combine the sideline group and the breeding group into one."

Fang Wei expressed his thoughts. The sideline group no longer had any need to exist. It was just a little bit of cured tobacco, so there was no need to take it too seriously.

So he decided to merge the sideline group and the breeding group, collectively known as the breeding sideline group.

Fang Ping naturally had no objection, and neither did the other team leaders, so the matter was resolved smoothly.

For Fang Wei, the biggest constraint at the moment is that the [Planting Area] is not large enough. If he wants to upgrade, he still needs a lot of points.

But it should be complete soon. The [Compost Yard] continuously produces fertilizer, and new points are also constantly accumulating.

After the Waking of Insects.

Spring thunder sounded in the sky, followed by a drizzle of rain.

The temperature began to rise, spring arrived, and Zheng Hu organized the members to begin spring sowing. Fang Ping was in charge of the experimental field. The 99 mu of paddy field was sown in a nearly 58- ratio between [Nanguang No. ] and [Nongken ], with [Nanguang No. ] having only one mu less.

For this acre of land, Fang Wei used direct seeding to sow all the sterile rice seeds.

The direct seeding method does not involve raising seedlings. Once the rice is sown, it will continue to grow in the field until it matures.

However, the large fields and 99 acres of experimental fields still need to be used for seedling cultivation.

[Planting area] Currently, it can only cover about 150 mu of land. The 100 mu experimental field must be included, and the private plot of less than two mu must also be included.

In addition, the team’s 40 acres of sloping land were also planted with soybeans in the first season, so they also need to be included.

After the re-designation, the area was basically occupied, and the 120 acres of farmland were temporarily put aside and will be upgraded in the future.

In addition to taking care of the experimental fields, Fang Wei also has to worry about things in the fields all day long, so he basically has no free time.

Fortunately, the sowing was completed smoothly, and we can start transplanting the rice seedlings after the seedling cultivation is completed.

Fang Wei finally had time to go to the [Afforestation Area] to check on the progress of the afforestation work. Fang Jie was in charge of the afforestation work, and he was one of the first people to join the breeding team.

At the beginning, several people were sent to study under Gao Qingshan, and Fang Jie had the best academic performance.

"Third brother, since the beginning of spring, the seedlings we planted are growing well, and the chestnut tree seeds have all been planted. Look, they're starting to sprout."

[Forestry Area] The key species cultivated are tea oil trees and chestnut trees, with loquat trees being just a by-product and not numerous.

Tea oil trees are best planted by cuttings, while chestnut trees are best planted by sowing.

Currently it is in the seedling raising stage. Fang Wei has adjusted the attribute bonus ratio of the [Forestry Area], focusing on accelerating the growth rate of trees.

It takes ten years to grow a tree. The growth cycle of a forest is very long. If he doesn't speed up the growth, many of his plans will be delayed until five years later, and he really can't wait.

His goal is that the seedlings must meet the standards for transplanting after the summer harvest and bloom and bear fruit in about two years.

This is a huge project. Planting trees is always time-consuming and requires a lot of manpower.

"Well done! You should put more effort into this. The cultivation of economic forests is very important and will become a major economic pillar for the team in the future. Ajie, if you have any difficulties, come to me and I will help you find a solution."

Back then, he set up a breeding team with a group of friends. Now these people are not only his most loyal fans, but also the backbone of the team.

Young people have sharp brains and a strong ability to accept new things, and the future holds unlimited possibilities.

Later, Fang Wei returned to the team headquarters, where Secretary Fang handed him the material distribution statistics issued by the commune. He took a look and saw the oil coupons, the quota for returning grain, and a list of agricultural machinery and equipment.

"Captain, this year's return grain has finally arrived. Starting next month, we can purchase it according to the quota."

Fang Wei had almost forgotten that the local area was still a poor county that relied on returned grain. During difficult times, the returned grain could not be delivered, so that sometimes people could not even eat sweet potatoes.

Now the team basically has no worries about food rations, but the food for returning to school has arrived.

"Well, we still have to buy what we need. The team will buy it all back later."

The returned grain includes corn flour, flour, and brown rice. Although the quality is very poor, it is still grain after all.

To put it bluntly, even if the members don’t like to eat it, there will be plenty of people who will grab it if you take it out.

In addition, Fang Wei also saw ammonia water on the statistical table.

Ammonia water is given in very small quantities and can be used as a fertilizer. When applying fertilizer, sprinkle ammonia water on the farmyard manure in a certain proportion, stir it evenly, and then it can be applied to the farmland.

"Did we have this thing before?"

Fang Wei didn't remember using ammonia in the team, so he asked Fang Wenshu.

"We didn't have any before. I heard that the ammonia water now is brought from the special zone, and each commune gets a very small amount. We are an advanced production team, so we get a little more."

He was well aware of the effects of ammonia and could only say that it was quite good.

But the smell is definitely unforgettable. Ammonia is a strong irritant, so be careful when using it to avoid contact with skin, eyes, and inhalation into the respiratory tract.

At present, ammonia is still a scarce commodity and not easy to obtain.

At this time, Zheng Hu walked in and just heard the word "ammonia water".

The other party wanted to know the truth, so Fang Wei simply gave him the statistical table in his hand and let him look at it himself.

"Huzi, bring the ammonia back later and take it all to the [composting site] and hand it over to Yang Qing for disposal."

Ammonia had long ceased to be used as fertilizer before Fang Wei traveled through time, but he was not completely ignorant of it. On the contrary, he knew its effects very well.

If ammonia is used directly, it needs to be diluted with a large amount of water and sprayed on the leaves, or added to water for irrigation.

If used indirectly, it can be mixed with farmyard manure to achieve better results.

He handed the matter over to Zheng Hu and repeatedly emphasized some precautions.

In short, safety first.

"Okay, I understand."

Zheng Hu is responsible for arranging the specific matters of agricultural production, and he is very familiar with this kind of thing.

Unfortunately, the amount of ammonia water is limited, so fertilizer still mainly relies on farmyard manure.

After dinner in the evening, Zheng Hu, Fang Ping and others came to Fang Wei's residence to listen to him talk about some knowledge about hybrid rice.

"I explained a few days ago why ordinary rice cannot be hybridized. Could someone please repeat it?"

Before the formal lecture, Fang Wei guided everyone to review the knowledge they had learned.

This knowledge is the prerequisite for conducting rice hybridization experiments, and it is necessary for all members of the breeding team to understand it clearly.

As for Zheng Hu, he was the deputy team leader, in charge of agricultural production. On the other hand, he had also developed a love of learning over the years.

"Let me talk first."

As the leader of the breeding team, Fang Ping has been studying very hard during this period, and sometimes even asks his third brother to give him special lessons.

He didn't want to be left too far behind by these young people, so he had to work harder.

You know what, the learning effect is very good.

"Rice is a self-pollinating plant, with male and female stamens very close together. This makes it very easy for rice to self-pollinate under natural conditions, making hybridization difficult."

Fang Ping's retelling was very accurate, basically copying Fang Wei's original words.

Fang Wei nodded and gave a thumbs up.

"Excellent! With this premise in mind, let me now discuss the importance of male sterile plants in rice hybridization experiments.

As the name suggests, male sterile rice plants have naturally shriveled male stamens with no or little pollen, making them sterile and unable to self-pollinate.

Its female stamens are normal, able to receive pollen and produce seeds. Through artificial (external) pollination, we can obtain a large number of rice seeds containing male sterility, which is the sterile line."

(End of this chapter)