On August 30, China Central Television's "News Simulcast" highlighted the technological efforts behind safeguarding crops from insect infestations. A collaborative research team from Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) has successfully developed a variety of insect radars. These innovations have led to the creation of the world's most extensive insect radar monitoring network, which now operates around the clock to protect the nation's grain production.

Earlier, CCTV's "News Live" program showcased the domestically-produced high-precision insect radar developed by BIT. This advanced radar is capable of accurately tracking migratory pests that weigh mere milligrams.

The threat from migratory pests is substantial. Among the 11 pests listed on China's "Catalog of Class I Crop Pests," 8 varieties are known to travel over a hundred kilometers overnight by riding seasonal winds, enabling them to migrate across regions. According to statistics from the National Agricultural Technology Extension and Service Center, from 2021 to 2024, these 8 pest types annually affected a staggering 1.25 billion mu of farmland. This accounts for approximately 40% of the total area impacted by diseases and pests across China's three major staple grain crops.

So, how does the insect radar achieve such precise detection? To win the battle for grain, the BIT team, in collaboration with partners, has engineered multiple radar types. These systems provide real-time data on pest origins, populations, and migration paths. For instance, the planthopper, an insect barely visible to the naked eye, can be detected from hundreds of meters away by this high-precision domestically-developed radar.

Hu Cheng, a professor at BIT, explained the underlying technology. "Locating a 1-millimeter planthopper in the vast sky is akin to finding a needle in a haystack," he noted. "Our radar's key innovation is its ability to transmit multiple signals at different wavelengths simultaneously. Each wavelength functions like a ruler with a specific level of precision. By emitting these varied signals, we can measure both larger pests and minuscule ones like the planthopper with high accuracy."

Since the first prototype was built in 2018, to the current "top-tier" radar units installed in Zhejiang, the insect radar has undergone numerous rounds of refinement and testing in both labs and field trials. Professor Hu added, "The radar now achieves high precision and can measure various parameters. But the next step, accurately identifying the exact species of insect from those measurements, requires long-term data accumulation to boost recognition accuracy. That is our primary goal moving forward."

The network, which now constitutes the world's largest migratory pest radar surveillance system, is expanding from Zhejiang to cover the entire nation, weaving a protective web for the country's grain supply. Presently, 65 insect radars are integrated into the national monitoring and early-warning platform, operating stably across the country's three major migration routes. This network's scale is the largest globally.

Looking ahead, projections indicate that by 2030, the total number of insect radars in China will surpass 150 units. This expansion will ensure full coverage of principal migration routes, eliminating blind spots in core agricultural zones. The initiative will establish a three-tiered, three-dimensional defense network combining high-altitude radar surveillance, interception of adult pests, and targeted ground-based trapping.

BIT remains dedicated to addressing national priorities, nurturing future talent within its major projects and platforms. By integrating talent development with technological innovation, students involved in the insect radar project have earned numerous national accolades. These include the Gold Award at the 13th "Challenge Cup," the First Prize at the 18th "Challenge Cup" National College Student Extracurricular Academic Science and Technology Competition, and recognition as an outstanding team in the 2023 Communist Youth League Central Committee's College Student Social Practice Program.

Initiating scientific breakthroughs to serve the nation, the BIT community demonstrates profound patriotism and a strong will to contribute. They are channeling their efforts into technological research and development, providing intelligence and strength to achieve high-level self-reliance in science and technology.