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Moutai Institute Published a High-level Research Paper in the International Journal Agronomy for Sustainable Development

Recently, Wu Kaixian, an associate professor of Department of Resource and Environment of Moutai Institute published an online scientific paper entitled “Farming ducks in a maize field: a new and potential crop-livestock system from China” with Moutai Institute as the first unit in the top journal of agriculture Agronomy for Sustainable Development (5-year impact factor: 9.354; CiteScore: 9.90).

The research integrated crop planting and Muscovy duck breeding, designed the new “crop-livestock” ecological agriculture system:farming Muscovy ducks in maize fields (FD), developed and explored the key technologies. Different from the classic “rice fishing” system, this system is the first planting and breeding combination with wide application potential in dry-land agriculture, Muscovy ducks (average weight 3.3 kg/duck, reaching and exceeding the listing standard) were successfully cultured under the natural conditions in the field in the rainy season. Importantly, compared with conventional maize planting (CMP) , the “crop-livestock” mode can maintain the crop yield and effectively control the weeds in the field (the relative biomass control rate can reach 100%, and the multi-year average is 77%), and the economic net income increases by 3 times; compared with conventional breeding, Muscovy ducks in FD can save feed by 15% and increase the net income by 20%.

Since maize is the largest grain crop in China, this research has important theoretical significance for reducing herbicide application and improving agricultural sustainable production; the combination of planting and breeding mode also has practical value in promoting green ecological breeding of poultry and optimizing the industrial structure of livestock and poultry in China; since maize and sorghum are both gramineous crops with similarities in biology and agronomy, the research has application potential in the organic production of sorghum for liquor making and farmland ecological environment protection in Chishui River Basin.

(Contributed by the Office of International Relations)

Translated by HANG Min

Edited by YANG Yun

Source: https://www.mtxy.edu.cn/a/xueyuanxinwen/xyyw/2021/1209/4746.html