China Academy of Sciences on June 8 published results from the 'Black Soil
Granary' science campaign. The programme produced a baseline and change map of
black-soil resources, identifying nearly 40 years of degradation characterized
by thinning, reduced depth and soil hardening. Researchers reported a
dual-source synergistic control mechanism for targeted fertility improvement and
said they have developed key technologies including targeted
blocking/containment, gully erosion repair, bio-enabled healthy cultivation and
intelligent farm machinery, plus a full-coverage zonal classification
protection-and-use model. Seven 10,000-mu core demonstration zones were
established (total 193,500 mu / ~12,900 ha); reported impacts include soil
organic matter rising 0.25–0.70 percentage points, soil erosion falling 80%,
arable land quality improving by 0.5 grade and grain yields increasing more than
5.2%. The programme says the technical models have been extended to over 540
million mu (~36 million ha), providing scientific support for black-soil
protection and sustainable use.
