During the "Three Summer" period, wheat waves roll and a bumper harvest is in sight. This year, China's winter wheat area has increased slightly while remaining stable, and the crop's growth is generally better than in normal years and better than last year. In recent days, localities have seized the farming season and made every effort to ensure summer harvest work, with improved varieties, machinery, and methods all working to safeguard a bumper summer grain harvest, getting the year's grain production off to a good start.

　　Improved varieties ensure stable and increased production

　　Improved varieties are the solid foundation of agricultural modernization.

　　Recently, in the high-yield demonstration area of "Tianfu Granary · A Hundred Counties and a Thousand Fields" in Shuangfo Town, Nanbu County, Nanchong City, Sichuan Province, harvesters rumbled back and forth through the wheat waves, creating a busy scene in the fields.

　　"Based on the measured yield from actual harvesting, the average yield per mu in the demonstration area reached 615.93 kilograms, once again breaking last year's Nanchong wheat yield record of 515.57 kilograms per mu and reaching twice the provincial average yield per mu," introduced Xue Xiaobin, deputy director of the Sichuan Provincial Agricultural Technology Extension Station.

　　To build an agricultural powerhouse, science and technology are the key tool; for stable and increased grain production, the fundamental way out also lies in science and technology. It is understood that the "Mianmai 902" wheat variety in this yield-measurement demonstration area is already the wheat variety with the highest actual harvested yield under large-scale planting conditions in the Southwest Wheat Region.

　　Luo Youming, deputy director of the Nanchong Agricultural Technology Extension Station, introduced that this variety has advantages such as high yield and good resistance, and also has low protein content and weak gluten strength. "At present, China's total planting area of weak-gluten wheat is still relatively small. After large-scale promotion, it is expected to increase the self-sufficiency of raw grain for weak-gluten wheat and reduce dependence on imported raw grain."

　　Seeds are the "chips" of agriculture. In recent years, China's seed industry revitalization action has been solidly advanced, achieving a number of landmark achievements and phased progress. At present, China's coverage rate of improved crop varieties is above 96%, the contribution rate of improved varieties to agricultural yield increases exceeds 45%, and the area planted with independently bred varieties accounts for more than 95%, with domestic seeds basically able to meet domestic demand.

　　Good machinery makes summer grain production more efficient

　　Good machinery is the equipment support for agricultural modernization.

　　Wheat ripens in a single afternoon, and the key is to harvest quickly. Early on the morning of May 14, in Yangchang Village, Wangjiang County, Anqing City, Anhui Province, about 800 mu of wheat began to be harvested, kicking off the local winter wheat harvest "battle".

　　"In the past, when wheat was almost ready for harvest, we had to find agricultural machinery, drying plants, and sales companies in advance. Now with one-stop agricultural machinery services, it is much less worrisome." Watching clusters of wheat turn into plump grains under the harvesters' work, large grain grower Zhou Xiaolin was all smiles.

　　Zhou Xiaolin introduced that this year, before the wheat maturity season arrived, the machinery harvesting team had already coordinated in advance and was ready at any time to harvest the wheat quickly.

　　A relevant person in charge of the Wangjiang County Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau said that during the "Three Summer" period, the plan is to complete mechanized wheat harvesting on 195,000 mu, with the mechanized harvesting rate stable at above 99%. "This year, 1,200 combine harvesters, 1,000 large tractors, and 8,000 sets of supporting agricultural machinery are planned to be put into use, and large-scale harvesting is expected to be basically completed in early June."

　　Agricultural mechanization is the foundation of agricultural modernization. With powerful agricultural machinery, summer grain production is "accelerating." This year's No. 1 Central Document proposed vigorously implementing the action to shore up shortcomings in agricultural machinery and equipment. At present, China's comprehensive mechanization rate of crop cultivation and harvesting has reached 74%.

　　"Next, we will continue to focus on consolidating the foundation, breaking bottlenecks, improving quality, and controlling risks, striving to fill prominent shortcomings in the agricultural machinery field as soon as possible and achieve stable and stronger chains," said a relevant person in charge of the Department of Agricultural Mechanization Management of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

　　Good methods provide "hard support" for a bumper summer grain harvest

　　Good methods are the technical pathway for agricultural modernization.

　　In Cheng'an County, Handan City, Hebei Province, large grain grower Zhu Xintao is working with local agricultural technicians to inspect the full-density planting of wheat with wide beds and equal row spacing.

　　"With wide-bed dense planting, the number of ears per mu can increase by 3% to 5% compared with before. Coupled with scientific water and fertilizer management, the quality and yield of wheat this year can reach a new level," Zhu Xintao said, full of confidence in this year's high wheat yield.

　　The wide-bed dense planting model Zhu Xintao mentioned changes the field into a large bed model 5 meters wide, with 18 rows of wheat planted in each bed. "Compared with the previous bed width of about 2.7 meters, the land utilization rate can now be increased by 6% to 7%."

　　Zhao Dandan, a technician at the Cheng'an County Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau, introduced that the wide-bed dense planting model improves land utilization and can increase yield by about 50 kilograms per mu.

　　A relevant person in charge of the agricultural technology department of Cheng'an County said that this year, on the basis of promoting improved wheat varieties, Hebei Province has also widely implemented various new planting technologies, and "improved varieties + good methods" have ensured the steady increase of grain yield per unit area.

　　This year's No. 1 Central Document proposed solidly advancing a new round of the action to increase grain production capacity by 100 billion jin. Not long ago, the State Council issued the "New Round of Action Plan for Increasing Grain Production Capacity by 100 Billion Jin (2024–2030)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Action Plan"). In answering reporters' questions on the Action Plan, the responsible person of the National Development and Reform Commission said that implementing the new round of the action to increase grain production capacity by 100 billion jin and deeply implementing the national food security strategy requires solidly advancing the strategy of storing grain in the land and storing grain in technology, starting from cultivated land, water conservancy, seeds, agricultural machinery, chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and farming techniques, strengthening coordination and integrated technological innovation, enhancing grain production capacity building, and comprehensively consolidating the foundation of national food security.

A bumper summer harvest brings initiative for the whole year. Summer grain is the first season of the year's grain production, and the bumper summer harvest safeguarded by improved varieties, good machinery, and good methods is continuously strengthening the "ballast stone" of national food security.