Research on the Significance of Incremental Utilization of Natural Resources Based on "Fenlong Science of Natural Resources"

Benhui WEI

Cash Crops Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning 530007, China

Abstract The basic principle of Fenlong technology is to make full use of the cultivated layer and the below soil resources and natural precipitation. It can increase the amount of loosen soil by 1-2 times, water and oxygen by 1 time, and available nutrients by 10%-30%, surface air humidity by more than 10%, crop net photosynthetic efficiency by 10%-30%, biomass by 20%-30%, crop yield by 10%-50%, and crop quality by 5%, and decrease salt content by 20%-40% and the emission of methane and other gases by 10%. In this study, it is firstly proposed to establish a new research field——"Fenlong science of natural resources" (referred to as "Fenlong science"), and the research contents include Fenlong-based sciences of modern agricultural machinery and equipment for full-layer ploughing and bottom ploughing, tillage, crop cultivation, utilization of water resources (natural precipitation, farmland water conservancy, groundwater resources, etc.), conversion and utilization of saline-alkali land, arable degraded grassland reconstruction, ecological reconstruction of desertification land, ecological environment, climate change, economic and social development. It clarifies theory and enriches technology, and provides a major platform for carrying global population developing from more than 7 billion to 10 billion and helping people and nature to mutually benefit.

Key words Fenlong, Fenlong science of natural resources, Incremental utilization of natural resources

1 Introduction

"Fenlong technology" (referred to as "Fenlong")[1-2]is a major farming reform that achieves one-time completion of land preparation tasks through ultra-deep ploughing without disturbing soil layers (1-2 times deeper than traditional farming). It can activate various land and soil resources, and promote the efficient use of "natural resources" such as natural precipitation, solar energy and oxygen in the air, and promote the increase of agricultural natural output and the improvement of ecological environment. It is the "fourth" upgraded farming model after the tillage modes by human, livestock, and tractors, and it is an efficient and ecological farming mode covering existing cultivated land, saline-alkali land, degraded grassland, ecological reconstruction of desertification land, arable fruit trees, ploughing forest trees, lawns in a sponge city and land remediation projects. Based on this, "Fenlong science of natural resources" (referred to as "Fenlong science"), as a new research field, fully exploits and utilizes "natural resources" to provide more high-quality food sources, terrestrial water resources and good ecological environment. It is fully expected to become a major platform for carrying the global population developing from more than 7 billion to 10 billion and to help the mutualism of people and nature, enabling mankind to achieve green and sustainable development and providing strong scientific and technical support.

2 Scientific connotation of "Fenlong science"

2.1 Research direction of "Fenlong science"The research direction of "Fenlong science" includes the scientific principle of Fenlong tillage and resource activation and utilization, the physical and chemical mechanism of Fenlong tillage soil, the optimization and intelligentization of Fenlong tillage machinery, the relationship between Fenlong technology and ecological environment, and construction of "Fenlong Scientific Engineering Research".

2.2 Research fields and objects of "Fenlong science""Fenlong science" covers Fenlong-based sciences of modern agricultural machinery and equipment for full-layer ploughing and bottom ploughing, tillage, crop cultivation, utilization of water resources (natural precipitation, farmland water conservancy, groundwater resources,etc.), conversion and utilization of saline-alkali land, arable degraded grassland reconstruction, ecological reconstruction of desertification land, ecological environment, climate change, economic and social development. It can be expected that the study of Fenlong and "Fenlong science" can promote human beings to follow nature and fully exploit and utilize "natural resources", and solve the problem of green and sustainable development of human existence.

2.3 Study of "Fenlong science" has the academic significance of "Fenlong big science"Soil is the material basis for people to survive and develop. Fenlong studies soil problems, soil and environment problems, use Fenlong as a carrier to further understand nature, rely on nature, and use nature to open up a new field. Fenlong excavates "natural forces" and use natural forces to solve the harmonious development of human and nature. The study of "Fenlong science" will generate new theories and new technologies needed for human survival and development.

2.4 Roles of research on "Fenlong science""Fenlong science" is very extensive and has at least the following functions, such as directly utilizing above-ground cultivated land, non-cultivated land (saline-alkali land, degraded grassland, desertification land,etc.) and affecting the soil, soil nutrients, soil microorganisms, soil salinity, soil harmful substances,etc., utilizing natural precipitation, solar energy, lightning, sedimentation of aerial nutrients, oxygen in the air,etc., indirectly utilizing fishes in rivers, lakes, and offshore waters and related shipping, power generation,etc., eco-environmental change effects, climate change effects, changes in natural disasters, human health effects, and economic and social development impacts.

3 Technical system of Fenlong

3.1 Fenlong creates a farming system with full-layer ploughing and bottom ploughingBased on the farming concept of "ultra-deep ploughing (arable layer 30-50 cm) without disturbing soil layers", Fenlong has created a technical system composed of full-layer ploughing, partial (stripe) full-layer ploughing and bottom ploughing (cultivating) in the history of mankind. Full-layer ploughing utilizes the invented "spiral drill bit" in deep rotary tillage, and it is applied in rice fields[3-4], dry land[5-6], saline-alkali land[7-8],etc. Local (stripe) ploughing of full-layer ploughing is applied to fruit trees, woodland, desertification land (ecological reconstruction),etc. Bottom ploughing uses an inverted T-shaped farming tool to loose soil at a depth of 20-50 cm. At the same time, deep fertilization can be completed, and underground "soil reservoirs" and "soil nutrient pools" can be established, which will not damage ground plants and crops, guide the roots to grow deeply, and improve the plants’ resistance to adverse environments such as drought, high temperature and low temperature. It can be applied to dryland crops from sowing to seedling stage, no-tillage in the upper layer of rice fields, degraded grassland protection, line spacing of forests and fruit trees, line spacing of land with Chinese herbal medicines, and ecological reconstruction of desertification land, and the alternate use of "full-layer ploughing" and "bottom ploughing"[2,9].

3.2 "Cultivated land agriculture" develops towards "large pattern agriculture"Fenlong not only solves many world farming problems such as deep ploughing and deep loosening, physical low-cost transformation of saline-alkali land, but also hopes to promote the generation of modern "Fenlong agriculture" with diverse and green development connotations. The current "cultivated land agriculture" develops towards "Fenlong large pattern agriculture" with "Fenlong cultivated land + saline-alkali land, degraded grassland, ecological reconstruction of desertification land, and river water fishery".

Moreover, the exiting deep frontier scientific problems, such as the expansion of three-dimensional space of land, the scientific use of land resources, the increase of storage of land water resources, the improvement of the ecological environment, the mitigation of climate warming, national health guarantee, and the coordinated development of economy and society, are solved reasonably to a degree.

4 Theoretical support of Fenlong

4.1 Scientific nature of evolution of farming model is the process of continuously increasing the use of "natural resources"By following nature, humans activate land and soil resources to promote the efficient use of "natural resources" such as natural precipitation, solar energy and air. Farming model develops from primitive slash-and-burn cultivation to modern farming by manpower, animal power, and machinery, and from shallow tillage to continuous deepening of tillage layer, which promotes the continuous increase of crop yield. Its scientific essence is the process of continuously increasing the use of the above-mentioned "natural resources".

4.2 "Natural resources" are excavated and used to generate new natural forcesThe natural forces generated by Fenlong through excavating and using "natural resources" are as follows: the amount of loosen soil in the surface of the earth is increased by 1-2 times; soil water retention is more than doubled; soil oxygen is more than doubled; soil available nutrients are increased by 10%-30%; soil salinity is reduced by 20%-40% (the purification of harmful substances in soil needs to be observed); the biomass of crops is increased by 20%-50%; the net photosynthetic efficiency of crops is increased by 10%-30%; the emission of methane and other gases in soil is reduced by more than 10%; ground air humidity is increased by more than 10%[1-2].

4.3 "Natural resources" are excavated and used to promote the increase of crop yield, quality improvement and efficiency increaseThe major farming technique of "ultra-deep ploughing without disturbing soil layers" of Fenlong is a major breakthrough in the utilization of "quantity", which is manifested in the construction of "super tillage layer" and "super soil reservoir" on cultivated land. After it has been applied to 36 crops in 26 provinces (including saline-alkali land of 10 provinces) such as Guangxi, Xinjiang, Shandong,etc., it can increase crop yield by 10%-50% ( each crop has one or more new varieties with yield increase of more than 10%), improve crop quality by 5%, double water retention capacity and improve ecology.

The acceptance results of seven crops by many provinces show that rice yield in seven provinces such as Hunan and Guangxi has been increased by 1 420.5 kg/ha (18.6%)[3-4,10-11]; corn yield in seven provinces such as Guangxi and Shaanxi has been increased by 1 950 kg/ha (20.5%)[8,12-14]; wheat yield in three provinces such as Henan and Shaanxi has been increased by 1 905 kg/ha (31.4%)[15-16]; potato yield in six provinces such as Hebei and Gansu has been increased by 13 245 kg/ha (36.3%)[17]; in 2017, the yield of potato planted by Fenlong in winter in Jinchang farm of Guangxi was 33 048 kg/ha, increasing by 79.7%; sugarcane yield in five provinces has been increased by 23 505 kg/ha (28.6%)[6]. Sweet potato yield was 46 965 kg/ha, increasing by 103%. After Fenlong, rice yield in the 13th season has been increased by 3.2%. The selenium and zinc content of rice has been increased by 78.14% and 15.99% respectively[18], and the sugar content of sugarcane has been increased by 0.22 degree[1,6]. The annual average increase of potato yield in three years was 23.14%.

5 Realistic meaning of Fenlong

In China, the existing agricultural resources and technical level and policy input of cultivated land, water, improved seeds, chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and agronomic management are closely related to the safety of food, water resources, ecological environment and national health. These factors have been already in the normal state of "ceiling" effect on the whole. In the long run, it will affect national security and the sustainable development of the Chinese nation under the influence of complex and variable risk factors such as constant increasing population, the shortage of per capita resources, the deterioration of the ecological environment and the decline of national health (especially the decline of fertility) and the constraints of international trade.

5.1 Urging cultivated land to "go underground" for food and waterFenlong can completely break China’s current dilemma of using 120 million ha of cultivated land (average topsoil is 16.5 cm in thickness, and the amount of loosen soil is only 198.1 billion m3) to feed 1.4 billion people, and activate the plow pan of arable land and the soil resources below. In China, Fenlong is applied to 67 million ha of arable land, and yield increase is 1 500 kg/ha. Grain yield can be increased by about 100 billion kg/a, which can feed more than 200 million people. At the same time, it can increase the use of natural precipitation by more than one time.

5.2 Transforming and utilizing non-cultivated land resourcesChina has 100 million ha of saline-alkali land. If Fenlong is used to transform 0.2 billion ha of saline-alkali land, grain and other agricultural products can be increased by 100 billion kg. China has more than 400 million ha of grassland. If Fenlong is used to transform 100 million ha of degraded grassland, there will be 200 million ha of meat and milk output, and it will bring many benefits for saving feed grain and reducing farming pollution in the mainland.

5.3 Rationally using China’s river resources to increase the food sources of a large number of high-quality fishesAfter Fenlong activates the above-mentioned land resources, it makes the dosage of chemical fertilizers and pesticides gradually reduce to 60%-70% of the current dosage, gradually restore cultivated land, and promote green development. In addition, it can indirectly activate river water body, so that the river resources with the most waste can be rationally utilized. At the same time, it is recommended that the state pay for fish fry, so that it can guarantee power generation and shipping and promote the natural increase of a large number of high-quality fish products, and increase the sources of protein food in China.

5.4 Realizing the double increase of land natural precipitation and improvement of the ecological environmentAfter the depth of plough layer of 187 million ha of land resources is increased by 1-2 times by Fenlong (if it is calculated according to the policy subsidy of 1 500 yuan/ha, it is less than 300 billion yuan), the volume of loosen soil is up to 653.6 billion m3, which is 455.5 billion m3higher than the total volume of loosen soil for the current 120 million ha of arable land, with an increase of 230% (it can be seen that the storage capacity of "soil reservoir" is increased by two times). As a result, China’s annual increase in land natural precipitation is up to 84 billion m3(at least 30 m3/ha), which will have an inestimable effect on reducing droughts and floods and promoting national industrialization, urbanization and ecological improvement. At the same time, the biomass of ground crops (plants) is increased by 20%-50%, and the utilization rate of solar energy is increased by more than 10%. The contaminated cultivated land, water and air will be gradually repaired and improved to realize the beauty of "national wealth, folk happiness, blue sky and green land".