Tech-driven model boosts black soil protection and utilization

Amid China's efforts to safeguard grain security and protect farmland, the Zhaodong Experimental Station of China Agricultural University has developed a replicable and scalable approach to agricultural management known as the Zhaodong model, built on integrated technological innovation and intelligent, model-based field management.

The Zhaodong Experimental Station, established in 2022 in Zhaodong, Heilongjiang province, has created a technical system centered on rational high-density planting, precision fertigation and deep straw incorporation, combining optimized water and fertilizer management with full straw return to support steady yield growth while improving soil fertility.

The experimental station also introduced an integrated space–air–ground intelligent monitoring system for black soil. At the same time, an intelligent management and protection model for Northeast China's black soil region was developed, integrating data-driven artificial intelligence with process-based modeling. The model supports timely sowing, precise irrigation and efficient fertilization.

Driven by technological integration and intelligent management, the Zhaodong model has helped move agricultural production away from experience-based farming toward intelligent, data-driven practices.

Since the station was established, corn yields in the demonstration area have posted steady gains for three consecutive years, remaining above the one-ton-per-mu level and demonstrating reliable production performance under varying weather conditions.

In 2025, for instance, despite low temperatures in early spring, the integration of soil moisture and temperature sensors with artificial intelligence enabled timely planting and supported a steady increase in yields to 1,044 kilograms per mu.

Alongside gains in grain production capacity, the Zhaodong model has also delivered clear improvements in soil fertility, as all corn straw at the experimental station is crushed and returned to the fields after harvest. Compared with surrounding farms where straw is fully removed, the model has helped slow the thinning of the black soil layer and reduce nitrate leaching, thereby enhancing the soil's capacity to retain water and nutrients.