Hebei Seizes Spring Farming Season to Consolidate Grain Harvest Foundation

As temperatures continue to rise, the vast fields of Hebei province are brimming with vitality, and spring agricultural production has entered a critical period. Across the region, local authorities and farmers are seizing the farming season, carrying out winter wheat management in light of local conditions, improving field operation efficiency with smart agricultural machinery, and strengthening full-chain factor guarantees to lay a solid foundation for a bumper grain harvest.

By the end of March 2026, more than 87% of winter wheat in Hebei province was classified as strong or medium-strong seedlings, an increase of 37% compared with before winter, with the seedling condition continuing to improve. Currently, it is the key period for wheat jointing and growth, and agricultural technicians across Hebei have remained relentless in steadily advancing spring field management of winter wheat through targeted and classified measures.

"This plot is sandy soil. Although it lost moisture quickly and was sown early last autumn, its water and fertilizer retention capacity is weak," said Wen Chunshuang, a senior agronomist from the Agriculture and Rural Bureau of Nanhe District, squatting in the wheat field of farmer Ma Longzhao in Nangaoli Village, Shizhao Township, Nanhe District of Xingtai City. She advised that each mu of land should be topdressed with about 6 kilograms of nitrogen fertilizer at present, supplemented by small-water sprinkler irrigation, and pesticides should be sprayed promptly to enhance wheat stress resistance and lay a solid foundation for subsequent jointing.

Moving to another field in the same village, the management measures varied significantly. "This is clay soil with poor air permeability, and sowing was relatively late last year. We must quickly find ways to strengthen the weak seedlings," Wen noted. She added that efforts should be made to break the soil crust, promote the downward growth of wheat roots, and apply a small amount of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer to accelerate seedling tillering.

According to Xinhua News Agency, on April 3, agricultural technicians in Nanhe District, Xingtai City, explained winter wheat management techniques to farmers in the fields.

In the 350-mu wheat field of Guo Fusheng, a large grain grower in Gancaoying Village, Cizhou Town, Ci County of Handan City, agricultural machinery operator Li Mengliang controlled a drone equipped with a multispectral camera to fly slowly over the fields. Soon after, a "physical examination report" of the wheat field, composed of red, yellow and green colors, was generated.

"Red indicates weak seedling growth, which requires immediate targeted care; green means strong seedlings that only need regular management," Li said, pointing to the remote sensing image. He added that these "physical examination" data would be imported into the relevant smart agriculture platform, which would automatically generate an operation prescription map. Subsequently, the plant protection drone could conduct intelligent spraying, which not only improved field management efficiency but also realized scientific reduction of pesticides and fertilizers.

While steadily advancing winter wheat management, various parts of Hebei are seizing the farming season to lay a solid foundation for the upcoming spring corn sowing.

In the 1,500-mu farmland transferred by Aocheng Forest and Fruit Planting Professional Cooperative in Xiaguanying Town, Qian'an City of Tangshan City, rotary tillers shuttled back and forth, making the relatively compacted soil loose and flat.

At one corner of the field, technicians from Aocheng Cooperative were busy debugging driverless tractors. "Relying on the Beidou Navigation Satellite System, the agricultural machinery can drive independently according to the preset route and accurately complete operations such as sowing and fertilization," said Tang Zhihong, director of the cooperative.

Focusing on the full-chain factor guarantee for spring ploughing, departments including market supervision, finance and electric power in Hebei have extended their services to the fields, comprehensively strengthening the rear position for spring agricultural production.

"It is now the jointing stage of winter wheat, and timely irrigation is crucial for wheat growth," said Cao Hao, a staff member of State Grid Guantao County Power Supply Company. He noted that to ensure farmers can turn on the sluice for irrigation at any time, the company has moved its service port forward, organized personnel to inspect and maintain the local motor-pumped wells and special power distribution lines before the start of spring irrigation, and prepared sufficient common maintenance parts to ensure that agricultural power failures are resolved in the first place.