Editor’s Note:

In recent years, natural disasters such as drought and waterlogging occur frequently. Climate warming has triggered various disasters that affect existence, which has brought unprecedented challenges to grain production, ecological environment and world peace maintenance. “Fen long” technology, the new method of farming invented by Wei Benhui, the Chinese inventor, can help to solve these problems in the world to a certain extent and make the human future better by multiple using “5 kinds of resources”, soil and its cubic natural rainfall, oxygen, temperature, humidity and solar energy.

In August 2021, the yield of highland barley in the saline-alkali soil, which was transformed by “smash-ridging” technology in Zangzhong Village, Zhaqi Town, Zhanang County, Shannan City, Tibet, China, the roof of the world, increased by 38.67%. The highland barley yield of smash ridging sand soil farmland in Kemai Community, Changzhu Township, Naidong District, increased by 1121.73 kg, with 25.43% of increase range, and the straw yield also increased by more than 20%. Peng Xinhua, the researcher of Nanjing Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences has implemented smash-ridging sweet potato experiment in Jiangxi Province, and the result was that the yield increased by 89% to 117%. The maximum production increase of wheat of heavy coast saline-alkali soil in Dongying City, Shandong Province was 154.22% after being transformed by “smash-ridging” technology. The production increase of cotton of heavy saline-alkali soil in Yuli County, Xinjiang Autonomous Region was yet 81.17% in the fourth year after being transformed by “smash-ridging” technology. Over the past decade, “smash-ridging” technology was applied to nearly 50 kinds of crops such as rice, corn and wheat in 28 provinces such as Guangxi and Xinjiang, and no more rich water, pesticide or other production costs was required while the production increase was generally 10% to 50%, the quality was improved by 5% and the increase production in saline-alkali soil was 20% to 100% after transformation. Experts estimated that, the natural disaster such as waterlogging, drought, high temperature and low temperature may be reduced by more than 20%, and soil environment improvement,and crop biomass increase will reduce carbon by more than 10% and increase  ground air humidity by 10%.

Invented by Wei Benhui from Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, “smash-ridging” technology is a major new method of farming, which can realize a new round of production increase, quality improvement, water conservation, disaster reduction, carbon reduction and sustainable development of agriculture and contribute to widen the space of human existence and development.

In March 2021, “smash-ridging” technology was shown on the world’s No. 1 screen in Times Square, which stated that the smash ridging agricultural machinery and smash ridging farming that would not mess the soil layers for ultra deep ploughing had broken through worldwide problems such as “physical” production increase of agriculture and physical transformation of saline-alkali soil. “Smash-ridging” technology which has shocked the world is common technology, common welfare and common wealth of all mankind.

The advert of “smash-ridging” technology marks that the world has ushered in a very rare new agricultural revolution. The technology is simple, widely applied and sustainable for hundreds of years. It has realized increase of grain production and decrease of disaster to benefit human being.

1. Creating subversive fifth farming mode, which is worldwide used

“Smash-ridging” technology is named after vertical burying, high-speed rotary-cut smash soil, ridge and suspend by using spiral, hollow and other “drill” farming tools invented by Wei Benhui, instead of the “plow” which has been used for 5,500 years. “Smash-ridging” technology has become the fifth efficient farming mode after slash-and-burn cultivation, man power, animal power and tractor ploughing in the history of human farming. “Smash-ridging” technology structured “smash-ridging agriculture” technology system that matches smash-ridging agricultural machinery, smash-ridging farming and smash-ridging cultivation and overturned traditional farming way and agricultural production technical philosophy by using the scientific concept of “ultra deep ploughing and deep loosening the soil without messing the soil layers”. The worldwide universal technology expands the space for human existence and development, and its scientific connotation and characteristics are as below:

First of all, fully excavate natural resource utilization that the earth feeds human being. With 5 kinds of natural resources, soil, the grain producer which the mankind survives on, natural rainfall, oxygen, temperature and humidity and solar energy, once more multiple positive utilization can be realized on the basis of existent farming and agricultural utilization to promote a new round of agricultural production increase, quality improvement, water conservation, disaster reduction, carbon drop and sustainable development.

Secondly, trigger deepening utilization of the surface soil of earth with a light force. Loosened soil increases several times over., and most of soil is granular, and granular structure surface is smooth. Unit weight decreases by 10% to 20%, and available nutrient increases by 10% to 30%. Basic fertility improves by 10% to 30%, and applying quantity of chemical fertilizer for planting crop can reduce by more than 10%.

Thirdly, create cultivated land reservoir with loosened soil and expanded volume. Natural rainfall reserves approximately double, which provides conditions for human being to utilize rainwater and snow water again. Soil porosity enlarges approximately and oxygen increase approximately by one time. Soil microbial community and quantity increase by almost multiple times.

Fourthly, create soil ecological environment that is suitable for crop growth. Smash ridging cultivation requires soil ecological environment with balanced water, fertilizer, gas and heat. The crop takes roots in the earlier stage, strengthens in the medium stage and becomes powerful in the later stage. It features production increase and quality improvement with resistant to drought, high and low temperature. The root system is particularly developed with fibrous root increasing and activity strengthening. The photosynthetic efficiency improves by 10% to 30%, and the stress resistance such as drought and high and low temperature improves by approximately 20%, while  biomass increases by 20% to 30%.

Fifthly, create suitable environment for crops based on ecological conditions in which high agricultural yield is still available and consumption of agricultural “chemicals” is achievable even the consumption of fertilizer and pesticide can be reduced by more than 10% and some plastic mulch can be reduced. Some of polluted soil can be “purified itself”. For example, reduction of heavy metal pollution (reduction of cadmium content of rice) is a physical effect that other chemical means can hardly match.

Sixthly, realize no ecological area or crop variety limit. Almost all crops and some traditional Chinese medicinal materials in rice field, dry land and even saline-alkali soil can be applied to from Hainan Province at low latitude (18°N) to Xinjiang and Heilongjiang at high latitude (45° to 50°N), from Beihai of Guangxi at low altitude (10 to 15 metres) to Shigatse of Tibet at high altitude (over 4,000 metres), which indicates that there is no obvious limit on ecological area or crop variety, and it can be generally used in the world.

2. Application in China’s cultivated land and saline-alkali soil in 2021, with outstanding results

Test on smash ridging has been implemented in many places of China, and the result showed that comparing with traditional cultivation, the yield of rice increased by 15.5%, that of corn increased by 12.26%, and that of peanut increased by 8.05% with no fertilization.

“Smash ridging” technology has been applied to 50 kinds of crops such as rice, corn, wheat and potato in 28 provinces all over China for more than a decade, and production increase achieved 10% to 50%, and production increase in saline-alkali soil after being transformed achieved 20% to 100% with no increasing fertilization or irrigation volume. There are many cases of production increase in various places. In Yuanjiang City of Hunan Province, yield of smash ridging rice increased by 26.5% in that year, and it still increased by 12% in the fourth year after the first smash ridging cultivation. The yield of smash ridging wheat in Fuping, Shaanxi Province increased by 29.9%, and that of the second crop of corn increased by 34.89%. The average production increase of rained farming sugarcane was 32.5%.

In 2021, the cases of production increase with “smash-ridging” technology occurred frequently, and the results are outstanding.

Firstly, rice production continuously increases with “smash-ridging” technology. Yaoguao Town, Longhui County, Hunan Province used to be the breakthrough point where Academician Yuan Longping’s hybrid rice yields reached 900 kg per mu. In April 2014, “smash-ridging” cultivation was implemented, and the yield of hybrid rice increased by 25% in that year. It has been the 8^th year since “smash ridging” technology was implemented, but the yield of hybrid rice is expected to increase by 10% or so. The yield of second crop of rice after rice smash ridging was implemented in Yongan Village, Shifu Town, Nanning City, Guangxi Autonomous Region increased by 9.5%.

Secondly, smash ridging water conservation and continuous high yield lasted for many years. In 2021, the third year after “smash-ridging” technology was implemented in Yanshan, Cangzhou City, Hebei Province, the yield of wheat with water conservation increased by 18% with irrigation reduction by nearly 2,000 cubic metres per hectare. In 2021, the sixth year after “smash-ridging” technology was implemented in Fanjiazhai Village, Guyang Town, Lankao County, Henan Province, the yield of wheat increased by 10.3%.

Thirdly, “smash-ridging” agriculture and saline alkali soil transformation in highland region. As previous statement, the yield of highland barley of saline alkali soil in Tibet, the roof of the world, increased by 38.67%, that of highland barley of sand soil cultivated land with “smash-ridging” technology increased by 25.43%, that of highland barley straw increased by more than 20%, which can effectively solve the problem of lack of grain and feed in Tibet.

Fourthly, the history of high yield of sugarcane in a large area with “smash-ridging” technology was made. “Smash-ridging” technology “145” demonstration base for planting sugarcane was built in Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences. On March 6, 2021, upon experts’ acceptance, it increased by 38.3% than conventional cultivation. “Smash-ridging” technology “145” demonstration in Binyang of Guangxi, is expected to make history of green ecological high yield of sugarcane in a large area with entire mechanization to bring a sample for China’s and the world’s sugarcane planting technology.

3. Increasing grain yield and decreasing disaster by conforming to the nature, and all the mankind getting a better future

The best living quality and survival and development environment with abundant and tasteful food, fresh air and visible blue sky and cloud are mankind’s good wishes.

The earth is endowed with 5 kinds of inexhaustible natural resources, soil and its stereoscopic spatial natural rainfall, oxygen, temperature and humidity and solar energy. Soil is the “producer” of grain and other agricultural products the human being survives on and the “regulator” of natural environment to relieve drought, waterlogging and other natural disasters. In order to realize the above dreams, human being has to profoundly comprehend and properly utilize the “5 kinds of natural resources”, which is the fundamental obedience to the rules of resource utilization for mankind’s survival. For a country, the more proper utilization rate of “the 5 kinds of natural resources” of the stereoscopic space, the more secure grain and ecology in the country, the more fortunate of national life, which is also in this way for all the world and all the mankind.

The core of “smash-ridging” technology is to multiply sound utilization of the above “5 kinds of natural resources”. Its pioneering scientific contribution is based on the principle of “ultra deep cultivation and deep loosening (by utilizing the soil resources of plough sole which human being has not utilized yet), loosening soil at original site, granular soil, once off completion of soil preparation., and no tillage or light tillage for conservation tillage for years”. Meanwhile, “smash-ridging” technology is almost applied to various land resources including cultivated land and saline alkali soil so that agricultural available resources have expanded substantially. Furthermore, yield increase can be maintained with properly reducing fertilization. Additionally, it is easy to popularize and apply, and it is merely to replace tractor “plough” cultivation with smash ridging “drill”. Rice field is 25 cm deep, and dry land is 35 cm deep, and saline alkali soil is 40 cm deep. Expected effect is achievable with no excessive input or technical instruction required.

Wei Benhui said that invention of spiral and hollow “drill” tillage implements would certainly bring a major change of tillage implements and modernization of series products of smash ridging agricultural machinery equipment. The world will usher in great new times of “smash-ridging agriculture”.

According to expert’s estimates, if 1 billion mu of farmland and 300 million saline alkali land are cultivated in China, 130 billion kg of grain can be increased every year and 300 to 400 million more people can be fed. If land “smash-ridging” technology is implemented in 50% of farmland in the world, yield of grain can be increased and more people can be fed.

With “smash-ridging” technology, 40 to 50 cubic metres of natural rainfall reserve can be increased for cultivated land per mu, and drought, waterlogging and other disasters can be reduced. Recently, heavy waterlogging occurred in Henan Province. Because light tillage is carried out in most of cultivate land (most of loosened soil of plough layer is 12 to 15 cm), the soil of button layer is compacted and moves upward due to rolling by tractor wheels for years. Adding the road extension and ground hardening in the villages, there is no more place for water reservation. If “smash ridging” technology is implemented in half of cultivated land, such affect of rainstorm can be reduced greatly. Also, with improving smash ridging soil environment and significant increasing crop biomass, the goals including carbon reduction, peak carbon dioxide emissions and carbon neutralization can be achieved early, and global warming can be relived greatly.

“Smash-ridging agriculture” and its entire production technology system invented and created by Wei Benhui have surpassed the existent agricultural production mode and have been affirmed and supported by Yuan Longping and other more than 10 Chinese academicians. The technology system has been practiced to almost all crop varieties from low latitude to high latitude and from low altitude to high altitude. It can be popularized globally and is expected to be a new mainstream technology in the world to lead the trend of agricultural cultivation development. The future will be better for all mankind. (Written by Heng Yi)

[Character Introduction]

Wei Benhui, the inventor of “smash-ridging” technology, Chinese cultivation expert, secondary researcher of Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, has acquired 21 achievements in sugarcane, Chinese yam, potato, cassava and “smash-ridging” technology, 18 national, provincial and ministerial awards, 15 invention patents. He has bred 26 new varieties of Chinese yam. Additionally, he has published 10 works such as China’s Ecology for Grain Increase with Smash Ridging Alive Soil and Chinese Yam Cultivation as well as more than 170 papers. He has won the titles of National Outstanding Scientific and Technological Worker of China, Special Allowance Expert of the State Council, Guangxi Excellent Expert, Guangxi Outstanding Contribution Expert, Guangxi Most Beautiful Scientific and Technological worker, etc.