I can upgrade the shelter-Chapter 495 - 493: Ecological Planting

The ecological greenhouse was a research project established at the inception of the Research Center.

Although the term "ecological greenhouse" has existed for a long time, and there have always been studies on ecological agriculture and greenhouse planting before the meteorite fallout, studies combining the two were not absent either. However, compared to the ecological greenhouses at the Research Center, they were completely different.

The so-called ecological greenhouses before the disaster comprised a system formed by the mutual dependencies and interrelationships among various plants, animals, microorganisms, and natural factors within the greenhouse.

Although they could form a relatively stable ecological cycle, sunshine, air, and water mostly needed to be imported from the outside.

Especially sunlight, the most crucial resource, was indispensable for agricultural production before the disaster.

But with a series of disasters triggered by the meteorite collision and the recent volcanic eruptions, sunlight has long vanished, and at best it can only return to a dim environment for the next ten years or so.

Without sunlight, agriculture as a whole faces a giant blow, and people are forced to use energy-intensive artificial light to illuminate crops. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

For the past ecological greenhouses, such an impact and blow were fatal.

That’s why Chen Xin wanted to research ecological agriculture, constructing a greenhouse that could adapt to the current environment.

Fortunately, this research progressed smoothly. Given the existing research foundation on ecological greenhouses, with the provision of energy supply and warmth from geothermal power plants, adjusting the mode of existing ecological greenhouses to suit the current environment under comprehensive conditions wasn’t too difficult.

In fact, after the Research Center was established, the research on ecological greenhouses achieved significant breakthroughs and progress under the team led by the country’s appointed Professor Li, laying the foundation for the second phase of greenhouse expansion.

Following the model of the greenhouse, a new greenhouse was built at a former labor reform farm in the city, revitalizing the original farm.

These greenhouses, once built, quickly began to play their role, producing various agricultural products steadily.

However, the primary focus was on various fruits and vegetables, while the poultry and fish raised in the greenhouses did not produce immediately due to time constraints, requiring further rearing before they could provide a stable meat supply.

As for the most important food crops, rice was initially chosen.

On one hand, rice is the staple food in southern regions, and people are accustomed to eating rice rather than flour; on the other hand, the entire greenhouse aims to form a stable ecological cycle, achieving sustainable cultivation.

Recklessly planting more than two major food crops would massively occupy the limited resources within the greenhouse.

It’s not like the past; without sunlight and primary rainfall, especially with the surface vegetation destroyed, soil nutrients have become limited, necessitating consideration of the overall ecological cycle in greenhouse cultivation.

Though it isn’t impossible to forcefully plant multiple major food crops using artificial supplementation for mass food production, and the country indeed does so in some areas to obtain large quantities of food, such a method runs counter to the goals of ecological agriculture.

After all, the purpose of researching ecological agriculture is to restore the destroyed environment of Blue Star in the future, rebuilding its ecology. If exploiting resources is adopted, while it might alleviate immediate needs, it is not a long-term plan.

So even though the country currently needs a large quantity of food, it still supports the ecological greenhouses spearheaded by Chen Xin and his team, rather than extensively adopting more traditional agricultural methods relying on artificial inputs of fertilizers, light, water, and other conditions for large-scale food production.

However, after achieving an ecological planting system based on rice, Professor Li’s team also began researching another planting system centered around wheat.

This primarily aimed to enrich the variety of grains and also addressed the dietary structure differences between the north and south of Flame Country.

Although the difference is minimal now, the Flame Country people are fixated on eating habits, and since rice can be cultivated well, there’s no way wheat could be abandoned.

Chen Xin knew Professor Li and his team had been researching wheat cultivation systems recently, but he initially thought it would take more time, yet he was pleasantly surprised by their achievements.

When Chen Xin arrived at the ecological greenhouse, Professor Li and his research team were watching the mechanical harvesting of wheat.

"Professor Li!" Chen Xin greeted the old professor and then looked at the wheat being harvested, asking excitedly, "Can this batch of wheat be harvested already?"

"Yes, the growth is quite good, with an expected yield of a thousand jin per mu!" Professor Li, delighted by the bountiful wheat harvest, responded happily to Chen Xin’s inquiry: "We didn’t practice intercropping with this batch of wheat as a precaution, but now that yield can be ensured, our next step can be to start intercropping experiments with wheat and other crops!"

Wheat intercropping was a common wheat planting method before the disaster. Chen Xin, knowing its relevance for the ecological greenhouse, seemed a bit puzzled upon hearing this from Professor Li.

So he asked Professor Li, "Professor, isn’t wheat intercropping a planting technique meant to compensate for insufficient light and warmth in some areas for two harvests per year? Ecological greenhouses have artificial light and warmth, so intercropping shouldn’t be necessary, right?"

"No, this is different; traditional intercropping solves the problem of insufficient light and warmth in some areas of our country where wheat can only yield one harvest a year, by intercropping other crops to reduce the competition for light and warmth in two-crop years." Chen Xin’s question coincidentally fell within Professor Li’s expertise, naturally prompting the old professor to explain.

He took Chen Xin to a plot of unharvested wheat, pointing to the space at the base of the wheat plants, he said, "With the greenhouse planting we’re now adopting, sufficient light and warmth are provided, so the purpose of intercropping isn’t to reduce competition for light and warmth, but to make fuller use of the planting space, simultaneously enhancing grain yield per unit area.

We’re currently using traditional planting spacing for these wheats. Going forward, we will adjust the spacing to be wider; although this will slightly reduce the amount of wheat planted, intercropping with other crops can enhance total grain yield per unit area, so intercropping remains very meaningful!"