Across the vast landscapes of Jilin province in August, life is abundant. In the western town of Gaxiang, Zhenlai County, continuous waves of green rice surge on formerly saline-alkali land once coated with white frost. In the central black soil region of Lishu County, corn has entered its critical growth phase, thriving under a wide-row, narrow-strip planting system where farm machinery and agronomic techniques work in concert to protect the crops. In the eastern Changbai Mountain area, distinctive industries like ginseng, sanghuang mushroom, and Yanbian cattle are flourishing, painting a picture of diverse, modern agriculture across the region's landscapes. As a major grain-producing and agricultural province vital to the nation, Jilin consistently upholds its responsibility for national food security. It focuses on developing large-scale modern agriculture, continuously improving production conditions, and accelerating its transformation from a large agricultural province into a strong one. Technology is the core engine driving this high-quality development in Jilin's modern agriculture.

Transforming Black Soil

In Lishu, black soil protection has taken a significant leap forward. From the modest 225 mu experimental plot in Gaojia Village, this journey has spanned a full decade. Now, the "Lishu Model" has been fully implemented across 3.5 million mu of suitable land in the county, and its promotion across the four provinces of Northeast China has exceeded 100 million mu. The changes in the fields go far beyond these numbers. Initially, it was a simple method of no-till corn farming—leaving the soil undisturbed and retaining the straw. After ten years of iteration, it has evolved far beyond that single technique. It now integrates crop-livestock cycling, matches farm machinery, expands large-scale operations, achieves overall yield increases, and has gradually built a complete system for enriching the county and its people. A single technology has grown into a thriving ecosystem. At the recent 12th Lishu Black Soil Forum, the "Lishu Model Version 3.0" construction standards were officially released, becoming a focal point. Unlike previous versions from the past decade, this upgrade is not just about the farming technique itself, but the entire system of production and management. "The core of Version 3.0 is the organic integration of production and management," explained Professor Li Baoguo from China Agricultural University at the forum. He used a vivid analogy: earlier versions (1.0 and 2.0) solved the problem of "how to farm the land well," while Version 3.0 aims to answer "who will farm, how to manage, and how to sustainably increase efficiency." The goal is clear: to ensure black soil protection is "owned by a responsible entity, operated with standards, supported by equipment, backed by services, and yields tangible benefits."

Looking from the fields to the cloud, the management of black soil is being redefined by technology. Supported by the "Jilin-1" constellation of 161 satellites, remote sensing technology has been deeply integrated into the entire chain of plowing, planting, management, and harvesting. The satellites "watch" from above, using spectral analysis to generate "prescription maps" of soil nutrients. These maps clearly show where fertilizer or water is needed, allowing for precise application down to the square meter. "The key to model iteration is solving the practical problems of technology implementation," said Wang Guiman, a researcher at the Lishu County Agricultural Technology Extension Station. He noted that fragmented land and poor organizational management were once major obstacles to promoting conservation tillage. The release of Version 3.0 is precisely about clearing these blockages, one by one, to ensure that good technology truly reaches every patch of black soil. From the "sky eye" of satellite remote sensing to the "ground network" of precision fertilization and the "human synergy" of new agricultural operating entities, a three-dimensional protection network covering the sky, ground, and air is rapidly taking shape in Lishu.

Turning Alkali Land into Gold

The vast soda saline-alkali land in western Jilin represents a significant potential for expanding and improving the province's arable land. However, these areas are also a recognized global agricultural challenge due to their high salt content, strong alkalinity, poor permeability, and the difficulty and long duration required for improvement. For years, numerous research teams across the province have been dedicated to this "white desert," starting from breakthroughs in individual key technologies to gradually developing integrated, systematic innovative models. They have explored localized, replicable, and scalable paths for managing soda saline-alkali land, offering Jilin's solutions for national saline-alkali land utilization. In Gaxiang Township, Zhenlai County, the team led by Ma Wei from the Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences has been working on the front lines. Focusing on the core challenge of slow alkalinity reduction and salt removal in heavily soda-alkaline soil, the team tackled green, efficient treatment methods. Using citric acid gypsum, a byproduct of citric acid production, as the core amendment, combined with organic acid alkalinity reducers and bio-organic fertilizer, they achieved synergistic effects. This method significantly lowers soil pH and salt content within a single growing season, greatly boosting rice yields and providing core technology for "improving, planting, and achieving results in the same year" on saline-alkali land.

If individual technological breakthroughs create a "fast track" for saline-alkali land improvement, then systematic, integrated management models form the "ballast stone" for long-term, stable yields. In the 10,000-mu demonstration zone in Honggangzi Township, Da'an City, the team led by Researcher Liang Zhengwei from the Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has developed the "Da'an Model." This model relies on the Da'an National Field Observation and Research Station for Farmland Ecosystems and implements a "Triple-One" integrated approach: "Good Land + Good Seeds + Good Methods." The "Good Land" module uses efficient soil conditioners like phosphogypsum to improve soil physical and chemical properties. The "Good Seeds" module pairs these with salt-tolerant rice varieties like the Dongdao series, adapted to the saline-alkali environment. The "Good Methods" module integrates a full set of efficient cultivation management techniques for standardized production. These three modules are optimized and combined to create differentiated, precise treatment plans for light, moderate, and heavily saline-alkali plots. Currently, the "Triple-One" high-yield improvement technology for paddy fields on saline-alkali land was selected as a key promoted technology by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in both 2023 and 2024. The "Technical Regulations for the Transformation and Utilization of Paddy Fields on Soda Saline-Alkali Land" has been approved as a national industry standard for such transformations.

Building a Strong Seed Core

In 2021, China launched the major strategic "Seed Industry Revitalization Action." Aligning with this national strategy, Jilin Province targeted seed source bottlenecks across various agricultural sectors, mobilizing its top research strength for focused innovation. This has led to multiple breakthroughs in areas like staple crops, livestock and poultry breeds, and breeding technologies. "In recent years, our province has bred a large number of high-quality Japonica rice varieties with excellent taste, with 11 varieties winning the National Taste Quality Evaluation Gold Award 16 times," said Wang Jinming, a researcher from the Rice Research Institute of the Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences. He noted that the "Jijing 830" variety was certified as a super rice by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in 2025, achieving a synergistic improvement in both yield and quality. The taste quality of varieties like Jijing 575 and Jijing 868 has reached internationally advanced levels. "Currently, Jilin's rice planting area is stable at over 12 million mu, with high-quality variety coverage exceeding 80%. The 'Jilin Rice' brand value is over 46 billion yuan, forming a coordinated industrial development model involving varieties, technology, brand, and policy," Wang added.

For corn, the province's core staple crop, breeding efforts focus on two key issues: high-density tolerance for high yield and the independence of germplasm resources. Professor Guan Shuyan, the chief scientist of the Jilin Agricultural University Corn Breeding Innovation Team and a post expert for the corn industry system, leads her team in targeted breeding based on the climatic characteristics and industrial needs of different ecological zones. They have cultivated over 20 new high-yield, stress-resistant corn varieties, including "Jinongyu 100," "Jinongyu 198," and "Jinongyu 1801." Many of these have been selected as leading varieties in Jilin Province, some have been commercialized and promoted over a significant cumulative area, and they have notably increased farmers' incomes. The team has also created over a thousand new corn germplasm materials with independent intellectual property rights, providing a rich resource for future breeding efforts.

While staple crop breeding advances, the livestock and poultry seed industry is also pushing towards autonomy and specialization. In 2019, a major Jilin Province science and technology project on "Breeding and Core Group Construction of a New High-Quality Meat Sheep Strain," led by the Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, passed expert evaluation. The project team established a core group of the new Shuanggan meat sheep strain, achieving breakthroughs in understanding the genetic variation mechanism for its wool color and using microsatellite methods to quickly determine genetic relationships. In 2024, the Shuanggan meat sheep obtained a national new variety certificate. "Through systematic breeding, key indicators like slaughter rate, daily weight gain, and lambing rate of the Shuanggan meat sheep are significantly higher than local breeds. They can achieve two lambings in three years, shorten the fattening period by 1.5 months, and increase overall breeding efficiency by 16.32%, providing core seed source support for improving the quality and efficiency of the livestock industry," said Ma Huihai, a second-level researcher at the Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences and head of the Siping experimental station of the National Meat Sheep System.

Technological innovation has also opened new paths for conserving high-quality local cattle breeds. The Yanbian cattle, a nationally protected genetic resource, faced challenges like low reproductive efficiency and inbreeding depression in traditional live animal conservation. The team led by Lyu Wenfa from Jilin Agricultural University used somatic cell cloning technology, optimizing embryo culture and recipient cow care protocols, to successfully cultivate the first somatic cell cloned Yanbian calf. This established a conservation system combining "in-situ conservation + ex-situ cloning," providing a successful example of applying forward-looking biotechnology to the conservation of local livestock and poultry breeds. Boosting breeding efficiency also relies on breakthroughs in core tools. The research group led by Feng Xianzhong at the Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, successfully developed a domestic soybean breeding chip and matching detection equipment. This chip can accurately detect 20,000 SNP loci highly correlated with agronomic traits, significantly improving breeding precision and shortening the breeding cycle.

Solving Problems with Good Methods

In the peak of summer, field management is critical. In Sijianfang Village, Changling County, a major grain-producing area, Chen Zhanchao, head of the Zhanchao Planting Farmers' Cooperative, is personally instructing machinery operators on spraying foliar fertilizer on corn, his movements skilled and careful. The land beneath Chen Zhanchao's feet was once typical "rain-fed land" entirely dependent on weather. Located in northwestern Jilin, Changling County's farmland had a "hard flaw" of salinization. Yet, in recent years, this area has achieved an impressive stable yield of over 30,000 jin per hectare of corn. What's the secret behind this yield leap? "Look at this land now—it's high-standard farmland with 'regular fields, connected roads, linked canals, irrigation in drought, and drainage in flood,' giving us solid confidence!" Chen Zhanchao said with a smile, pulling up a corn plant to reveal the drip irrigation tape beside its roots. "This year, we buried the drip tape directly at the crop roots during sowing. This integrated water and fertilizer technology is like installing a 'nutrient express line' for the corn—water and fertilizer are delivered precisely through the pipes without any waste, like a 'customized meal' for the crops."

Recalling earlier years, Chen Zhanchao was reflective: "This area experiences drought nine years out of ten. Before, we were completely at the mercy of the weather. When a drought came, the seedlings would wither." Now, his voice is full of confidence. "With this technology, we save over 30% on water, increase fertilizer use efficiency by over 20%, and stabilize yield increases of 1,000 jin per hectare. It saves labor, reduces pollution, and improves the soil—a real win-win situation." When discussing the "technology assets" of the cooperative, Chen Zhanchao is even more enthusiastic. For years, a doctoral team from the Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, has been stationed in the village, providing free technical guidance and putting their research into practice. From precision seeding and conservation tillage to soil testing for fertilizer, green pest control, and optimized planting density, the power of agricultural science has quietly permeated every link of grain production. Looking across the province, this excellent method of "integrated water and fertilizer + dense planting" is taking root in the western semi-arid areas. Data shows that in 2025, this technology was promoted on 11.38 million mu, with a plan to expand by another 10 million mu this year, focusing on areas like Baicheng and Songyuan. Grain yields on plots using this technology have increased by an average of 20% to 30%, saving 30 tons of water per mu and increasing fertilizer use efficiency by 30%. From the experimental fields in Sijianfang Village to the widespread promotion in the vast western semi-arid region, this effective method, born from practice and refined by research, is filling Jilin's black soil with the promise of a bountiful harvest under the summer sun.

Empowered by technology, Jilin is holding its "rice bowl" more securely, and the era's answer from its black soil is becoming increasingly impressive. From comprehensive saline-alkali land management to scientific breakthroughs across the entire seed industry chain, Jilin's agricultural science consistently targets major national strategic needs and industrial upgrade pain points, forging a unique development path driven by "demand pull, technology empowerment, and industrial application." Looking ahead to the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, the province will continue to expand smart agriculture application scenarios, accelerate the construction of big data platforms for the entire production chain of key agricultural products, and promote digital and intelligent transformation in areas like facility horticulture and agricultural machinery. This will continuously inject Jilin's technological energy into the mission of safeguarding national food security.