The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) on Monday announced a series of achievements made over the past five years in black soil conservation and utilization, including theoretical breakthroughs, technological innovations, model development and the research and development of advanced agricultural equipment.

In 2021, CAS launched the "Black Soil Granary" science and technology initiative, bringing together 98 institutions nationwide to tackle key challenges in black soil protection. The program forms an important part of China's strategy to safeguard food security through both arable land conservation and technological innovation.

After five years of research, the initiative has produced a range of landmark results and established a comprehensive solution framework spanning scientific research, product and equipment development, key technologies, integrated farming models, demonstration projects and large-scale application. The achievements provide strong scientific support for the sustainable use of China's black soil resources and national food security.

According to Jiang Ming, commander of the initiative, and director of the Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, researchers have identified the major degradation trends affecting China's black soil over the past four decades, including thinning topsoil, declining fertility and increasing soil compaction.

The team also uncovered key mechanisms for improving soil fertility, developed technologies for targeted soil degradation control, gully erosion restoration, biologically enhanced soil health management and intelligent agricultural machinery, and established region-specific conservation and utilization models covering major black soil areas.

As part of the project, seven core demonstration zones of more than 10,000 mu (about 667 hectares) each have been established, with a combined demonstration area of 193,500 mu. In typical black soil regions, the technologies have increased soil organic matter content by 0.25 to 0.70 percentage points, reduced soil erosion by 80%, improved farmland quality by half a grade and boosted grain yields by more than 5.2%.

The technologies and management models have been extended to more than 540 million mu of farmland nationwide, providing solid scientific support for black soil protection and sustainable agricultural development.

The initiative has also addressed the growing demand for large-scale and intelligent agricultural machinery in northeast China. Researchers independently developed the third-generation "Honghu" series of intelligent agricultural machinery systems, with more than 90% of key components produced domestically.

The project achieved three major technological breakthroughs. Researchers developed a high-power electric motor system with an efficiency of 98.7% for a 400-horsepower motor, surpassing leading international benchmarks. They also established a high-strength, wear-resistant materials system and developed components that outperform comparable imported products.

The machinery has already been deployed across more than 30,000 mu of farmland in northeast China's black soil region, helping advance the modernization and sustainability of agricultural production.