Global cotton looks to China, and Chinese cotton looks to Xinjiang. Xinjiang long-staple cotton has excellent quality and large output, and is in short supply all year round. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, Xinjiang’s total cotton output reached 5.161 million tons in 2020, accounting for 87.3% of the country’s total cotton output and accounting for more than 20% of the world’s cotton output. Why is Xinjiang cotton top-notch in the world? Six reasons to tell you!
Chen Xiaojiang, an employee of the Sixth Division of the Xinjiang Corps, has been growing cotton for 17 years. Last year, he planted 50 acres, with a yield of 490 kilograms. , with an income of nearly 100,000 yuan. Photo courtesy of the XPCC Propaganda Department
Climate: unique light and heat conditions
On October 5, in the 500-acre cotton field of the 13th Company of the 144th Regiment of the 8th Division, a cotton picker was shuttled among the white waves of cotton. Seize the moment , harvest cotton harvest.
Li Xueyuan, a researcher at the Institute of Economic Crops of the Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said that Xinjiang has unique natural conditions. First, there is sufficient sunshine, which can last for more than 16 hours. Plants can It absorbs sufficient sunlight; second, the temperature difference between day and night is large, and plants fully carry out photosynthesis during the day, and growth is inhibited at night, so more energy is applied to the fruits; third, rainfall is scarce and the climate is dry, which can evaporate a large amount of water from the plants. , the cotton fiber of cotton has good flexibility; fourth, the frost-free period is long, which provides sufficient growth time for cotton growth.
Thanks to the unique light and heat conditions, Xinjiang is also the only long-staple cotton producing area in my country. According to Chen Jiajia, a professor and doctoral supervisor at the College of Agriculture of Xinjiang Agricultural University, 550,000 acres of long-staple cotton will be planted in the Aksu region of Xinjiang in 2020, accounting for more than half of Xinjiang. Xinjiang long-staple cotton’s softness, gloss, skin-friendliness, air permeability, elasticity and other indicators far exceed those of ordinary cotton.
Breeding: Create a batch of excellent germplasm resources
Experts from universities such as Xinjiang Agricultural University have long been committed to research on cotton breeding and other work, and have also played a role in improving cotton quality.
Chen Family said that taking the breeding and promotion of “Xinnongda Cotton No. 4” as an example, it improved existing cotton varieties and achieved disease resistance, Accurately identify, evaluate and screen drought-resistant, saline-alkali and other environments to create a batch of excellent germplasm resources that are resistant to high temperature, salt-alkali, cold and suitable for machine harvesting, strengthen protection and utilization, and continuously replenish the cotton germplasm resource bank.
Planting: Overcoming key technical problems in multiple links
The farming system in Xinjiang is one crop per year. According to the requirements of cotton growth process and the sowing date rules, early sowing at the appropriate time is carried out, and cotton yield is increased through cultivation techniques such as dense branches and early promotion. At the same time, plastic film covering is used to realize drip irrigation under the film to improve water utilization in Xinjiang cotton areas.
Xinjiang’s cotton planting technology is also making continuous breakthroughs. In 2020, Xinjiang’s patented cotton planting technology won the “Africa Innovation Week” Invention Gold Award. Mao Shuchun, the chief expert on cotton cultivation in the country, introduced that the “Innovation and Application of Key Technologies for High-yield and Efficient Oasis Cotton Production” submitted by the Economic Crop Research Institute of the Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences has systematically overcome key technical problems in many aspects of the high-yield and efficient production of oasis cotton. The technology has reached the international leading level.
Harvesting: Mechanical picking rate has reached 69.83%
Xinjiang’s cotton fields are concentrated, with large planting scale and high degree of mechanization. In recent years, the mechanized cotton harvesting area has increased at an average annual rate of more than one million acres. According to 2020 data released by the Xinjiang Agriculture Department, Xinjiang’s cotton mechanical picking rate has reached 69.83%. According to data from the Corps Statistics Bureau, the Corps has 2,760 cotton picking machines, with a machine-picked cotton area of 11.8 million acres, and a cotton machine-picked rate of 90.9%.
With the transformation of production methods and technological progress, Xinjiang’s cotton production science and technology contribution rate has increased from 38% before reform and opening up to 58%, and all aspects of cotton production, seed management, and harvesting have been fully mechanized.
Industrial chain: large-scale production has significant benefits
He Jinshou, an employee of the 14th Company of the 144th Regiment of the Eighth Division, planted 50 acres of cotton. Looking at the harvest of cotton, He Jinshou smiled from ear to ear. (Zhang Xiaoqi, 144th Regiment of the Eighth Division)
Li Xueyuan said that with the support of the national cotton industry strategic planning and various policies, Xinjiang has formed my country’s largest cotton production base, Processing base, textile and clothing export base. Among them, the scale of textile production has reached more than 20 million spindles, and textile employment has exceeded 1 million people. With the primary, secondary and tertiary industries�With integrated development, cotton’s economic contribution as the pillar of Xinjiang’s economy has become more prominent.
The Chen family introduced that Xinjiang’s cotton industry has contributed 70 billion yuan to the economy. More than 65% of the family income of cotton farmers in the main cotton-producing areas comes from cotton. The cotton industry can absorb 100 jobs. Thousands of people, cotton has become Xinjiang’s largest economic pillar industry.
Quality: All indicators exceed national standards, “both internal and external repairs”
On September 22, at the cotton processing factory of the 144th Regiment of the Eighth Division, a forklift unloaded new cotton sold by employees.
Yu Yu, a researcher at the Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, introduced that there are three main indicators to measure cotton quality: color grade refers to the type and grade of cotton color, and the standard fiber length grade is 28 Millimeters, a difference of one millimeter means a grade difference; the micronaire value is divided into three levels: A, B, and C. It reflects the fineness of cotton fiber and is also an important indicator of cotton maturity.
Yu Yu said that in terms of cotton planting, Xinjiang has high-quality varieties, mature technology, and large-scale operations. One of the obvious advantages is the good uniformity of cotton. , the above three important indicators are well coordinated, which ensures the quality of Xinjiang cotton.
Li Xueyuan said that Xinjiang cotton has “both internal and external qualities” – high external grade, white color, good mercerization, excellent internal quality, long fiber, high strength, Suitable for spinning high count yarns. In particular, Xinjiang’s unique long-staple cotton makes clothes and quilts warm, breathable and comfortable.
Cotton has higher strength. According to relevant tests, all quality indicators of Xinjiang long-staple cotton exceed national standards.
I support this kind of Xinjiang cotton!
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