An application and promotion meeting for the results of the national key R&D project, called "Research and Demonstration of Key Intelligent Technologies and Mechanical Equipment for the Rapeseed Industry in Mountainous Areas", was recently held. It was led by the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning (IARRP), CAAS, and it took place at the Shiyan National Agricultural Science and Technology Park. The meeting focused on addressing the challenges and difficulties in the intelligent transformation of the rapeseed industry in mountainous areas. It reported on the core technological achievements of the project, conducted practical training on the big data platform, and established a platform for industry-academia-research exchanges to facilitate the implementation of results, technology dissemination, and industry empowerment. Overall, the initiative aims to help the rapeseed industry in the Qinba mountainous region break away from traditional production models and fully transition to a new stage of high-quality development that is characterized by digitalization, intelligence, and efficiency. The project's chief scientist, researcher Mei Desheng, together with other industry experts, representatives of the Shiyan Agricultural Technology Center and its subordinate county centers, as well as representatives of major rapeseed growers in the region, attended and participated in the training. That's along with grassroots agricultural technology promotion departments in counties and districts, like Changyang county.

In China, rapeseed cultivation in mountainous regions such as the Qinba area is significant. It serves as a distinctive and advantageous industry that ensures regional oil supply, boosts farmers' incomes, and promotes rural industrial revitalization. However, due to the predominantly mountainous and hilly terrain, the region faces challenges such as scattered arable land and irregular plots. These conditions have long resulted in difficulties with mechanized operations, extensive production management, delayed growth monitoring, passive pest and disease control, and a lack of production data. Consequently, production costs are relatively high, and yield stability is insufficient, severely restricting the quality improvement, efficiency, and green sustainable development of the rapeseed industry in mountainous areas. The project team precisely targeted the actual needs of rapeseed production in the Qinba mountainous region. Leveraging a high-level industry-academia-research collaborative system, the team conducted targeted improvements in intelligent technology, the adaptation of specialized equipment, construction of digital systems, and localized demonstration and promotions. The effort has reportedly resulted in a set of mature technological achievements and applications models that are suitable for mountainous production scenarios.

At the meeting, the project team provided a detailed introduction to the research achievements, technological innovations, and the effectiveness of localized demonstrations, successfully delivering a series of core results. Researcher Song Qian from the IARRP noted that the project had innovatively developed an integrated sky-ground monitoring technology and a big data platform for rapeseed in mountainous areas. Song added that this system enabled dynamic monitoring and intelligent analysis of regional climatic conditions, rapeseed growth, and the occurrence of sclerotinia disease. It provided precise data support for scientific fertilization, green pest control, timely harvesting, and precise plant protection in the fields, transforming the traditional experience-based and extensive production management model of rapeseed in mountainous areas. Additionally, the project developed specialized system equipment suitable for rapeseed sowing, field management, and unmanned plant protection on small and irregular plots in mountainous regions. This effectively addresses the industry's challenges of high difficulty, low precision, and high loss in mountain agricultural machinery operations, significantly enhancing the mechanization and standardization of rapeseed operations in mountainous areas. 

To effectively bridge the "last mile" in the implementation of scientific and technological achievements, the meeting simultaneously conducted a practical training session on the big data platform for rapeseed in mountainous areas. Project technical experts provided a systematic explanation of the core aspects, including the platform's functional architecture, operational processes, data reporting, intelligent analysis, and backend maintenance. They conducted practical demonstrations based on real scenarios of rapeseed production in the Qinba mountainous area and addressed various questions from grassroots agricultural technicians and large-scale growers regarding platform use, technology implementation, and field operations. The training content was closely aligned with frontline production needs and was said to be highly practical. It effectively enhanced the digital application capabilities of grassroots technical personnel, thereby strengthening the talent foundation for the large-scale implementation and promotion of the achievements. 

The project is understood to use the demonstration base in Liubei Town, in Shiyan, as the key dissemination hub to continuously expand the demonstration application landscape. It is reportedly influenced and driven several towns, including Wufeng, Anyang, and Daliu, to carry out large-scale demonstration planting. Regular technical training, practical demonstrations of intelligent equipment, field observation exchanges, and household guidance are among the support services provided to optimize and to improve the technical application model continually. Overall, the effort is believed to have successfully explored and developed a smart, green, and efficient rapeseed production model that is suitable for the Qinba mountainous area and that is replicable and promotable. The implementation of intelligent technology and equipment has effectively achieved stable production and quality improvement of rapeseed, reduced production costs, and increased efficiency, significantly enhancing the standardization, intelligence, and modernization of the rapeseed industry in mountainous areas.  

The attendees unanimously agreed that the project's outcomes specifically addressed a series of bottleneck issues in rapeseed production in mountainous areas and established a smart rapeseed production system that is tailored to the characteristics of these regions. It is felt that this serves as an excellent model for high-quality development of the oilseed industry in mountainous areas. Moving forward, plans are for all parties involved in the project to continue to deepen industry-academia-research collaborations. Leveraging the advantages of the Shiyan National Agricultural Science and Technology Park platform, they will continue to optimize the functions of the big data platform and the performance of intelligent equipment. Moreover, efforts will be made to continue to expand the coverage of demonstrations and promotions, regularly provide grassroots technical empowerment services, and vigorously promote the implementation and widespread adoption of smart rapeseed production technology in the Qinba and Wuling mountainous areas. These efforts aim to enhance quality and efficiency, continuously support the stable production and supply of regional oilseeds, promote green agricultural development, increase the incomes of farmers, and contribute to rural revitalization across the board.