A mulch drip irrigation system that the city of Datong has tested on 1,600 hectares of land, one of 10 important farm programs for 2013 and with Shanxi provincial Party and government backing, has turned out to be quite fruitful and could have a revolutionary impact on industrial agriculture if it is widely applied.

This system is a combination of Chinese plastic film for mulching and Israeli drip irrigation technology and is the most advanced, efficient, water-saving system available. The project mainly involves corn, with a small patch of vegetables and some greenhouse vegetables. The corn field has two parts: one for testing, with no more than 60 plants per acre with yields of up to 10 kilograms per acre; and a demonstration field with no more than 40 plants per acre and a yield increase of 2.5 - 3 kilograms per acre.

Agronomists from Shanxi Academy of Agriculture Sciences say they believe the test field could handle 7000 plants and yield another 100 kilograms.

Meanwhile, the Datong Water Authority believes the mulch drip irrigation could save human and material resources, such as 60 percent on water, 90 percent on time, 66 percent in electricity and 20 percent in fertilizer, in addition to increasing yields.

Datong is expected to apply the system on 33,300 hectares of land in five years, at a cost of 123,000 yuan ($20,000) per acre. The technique is believed to be balanced for sustainable development with improved production and energy savings to benefit farmers overall.

Edited by Roger Bradshaw