An agricultural technician introduces field management techniques to workers operating machines in Hushan. [Photo by Li Xinjun/for China Daily]

Different varieties

According to soil conditions, Xue chooses several varieties of wheat seeds for use on the dozens of hectares of land she manages.

In 2019, she started to manage a 5-hectare wheat field with poor soil conditions. After using machinery on the land, including a deep plow and soil press, she chose a type of wheat seed that can produce several ears.

"For the past three years, the average yield from the 5 hectares has been 600 kilograms per 0.07 hectares－100 kg more than before," Xue said.

For most of the land she manages that is used to grow wheat, Xue uses Jimai 22, a variety of seed developed by the Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

"These seeds are resistant to disease and adaptable to different environments, making for a high and stable yield," Xue said.

Liu Jianjun, a researcher who has been developing wheat seeds for more than three decades at the Shandong academy, said Chinese experts have developed a wide range of wheat seed varieties, including those that can produce strong flour, also known as bread flour, and purple color wheat flour, known as nutrition flour.

"We are also developing seeds to produce types of flour that can meet customers' different demands," Liu said.

"Our country attaches great importance to grain production, and I am confident about planting grain by using new knowledge and techniques," said Xue, who graduated from China Agricultural University.