Chapter 11 The fourth section of the towering chemical cultivation - focus on improving the production capacity of agricultural organisms

Ancient Chinese agriculture has also accumulated rich experience and created superb technology in improving the production capacity of agricultural organisms. Breeding improved varieties is one of the main means for humans to change the traits of agricultural organisms (including overcoming unfavorable traits and enhancing favorable traits) to adapt to the natural environment and human needs.It can be seen that in the Western Zhou Dynasty, people had the concept of "Jiazhong", that is, improved varieties, and had cultivated different varieties of millet and millet, and used the time of maturity and sowing to distinguish different types of varieties.Bai Gui, a man from the Warring States Period, said: "If you want to grow money, you need to get the grain; if you want to fight with long stones, you can get the seeds." seed.It shows that people have recognized that the use of improved varieties is the most economical method of increasing production.The traditional seed selection method in our country is: select seeds every year to accumulate good traits; change seeds frequently to prevent degradation. "The Book of Fansheng" already has the record of selecting strong and huge grains of wheat and wheat from the field as seeds (ear selection method). "Qi Min Yao Shu" also emphasizes that the seeds should be pure, and points out that mixed seeds have disadvantages such as uneven maturity and reduced rice yield.To this end, it is necessary to combine seed selection, multiplication and anti-miscellaneous purity.The method introduced in the book is: Grain crops should be selected every year, good ears of solid color should be selected, hung up, planted separately after spring, management should be strengthened, the field should be harvested and stored in advance, and used as field seeds for the second year.This method is similar to the current seed field, and its principle is consistent with the modern mixed seed selection method, and it is more than 1,300 years earlier than the German breeder Ren Bo first used this method to improve rye and wheat in 1867.

In order to maintain and improve the vitality of the seeds, it is also necessary to keep the seeds dry during storage to prevent insects.Before sowing, the grains are generally removed by water selection, and then the seeds are dried. Sometimes, methods such as drug seed dressing, seed soaking and germination acceleration are also used.There are many records of these in ancient books. Another breeding method in ancient my country is the single-plant selection method, also known as "one ear transmission", which is recorded in the literature of the Qing Dynasty.It selects a single plant or single ear with excellent traits and reproduces them continuously to breed new varieties.Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty used this method to breed the famous early-maturing rice, which was promoted in Jiangsu and Zhejiang as an early rice variety for double-cropping rice.

my country's ancient agriculture has cultivated and accumulated a large number of crop variety resources in the long-term development.As early as the "Guanzi Diyuan" written in the Warring States Period, there were records of various crop varieties and their suitable soils. The records of crop varieties in "Guangzhi" of the Jin Dynasty and "Qimin Yaoshu" of the Northern Wei Dynasty, regardless of the quantity and traits are greatly developed.By the Qing Dynasty, there were more than 3,000 rice varieties in some provinces, cities and counties included in the official large-scale agricultural book "Shoushi Tongkao".Abundant and distinctive variety resources not only meet the various needs of human production and life, but also serve as the basis for breeding work, which is of immeasurable significance to the present and future of agriculture.

In horticulture, flowers, and tree production, artificial cloning technology is widely used.The earliest method adopted in this regard is probably the split-root propagation of certain root and tuber crops (such as yams and taro) and vegetables (such as leeks), but there is a lack of early clear records.There is a poem "Zheliu Fanpu" (breaking willow branches and inserting them around the vegetable garden as a fence), which is the earliest record about cuttings.Cui Shi of the Eastern Han Dynasty's "Si Min Yue Ling" said: "The first month can cover the branches", that is, bury the branches in the soil to let them take root and use them for transplanting next year.This is the method of obtaining cutting material with high-branch layering.In "Qi Min Yao Shu", a variety of fruit trees and mulberry trees can be propagated by "planting", that is, cuttings.

Grafting is an artificial asexual hybridization method based on cutting technology.Its origin is no later than the Warring States period.During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, it was popular to say that "the tangerine exceeds the Huai River and the north is the trifoliate orange".Hovenia trifoliate and tangerines are closely related and are more cold-resistant. At that time, orange farmers in the south should use trifoliate oranges as rootstocks and tangerines as scion grafting techniques; The climate is cold and withered, but the rootstock (trifoliate orange) can continue to survive. The northerners don't know why, and mistakenly think that oranges have turned into trifoliate oranges.In "Shuowen Jiezi" written by Xu Shen in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the word "椄〔jie解〕" is included, which is specially used to indicate the grafting of trees; after the popularity of the word "Jie", the word "椄" is rarely used. "The Book of Fansheng" introduces the experience of gourds relying on knotting big melons. "Qi Min Yao Shu" explained the principles and methods of pear tree grafting in detail.Tang Han'e's "Si Shi Zhuan Yao" described the guiding principle that interspecies grafting needs to be closely related to survive.Yuan Dynasty Wang Zhen's "Nongshu" summarized the grafting methods of mulberry trees, including body grafting, root grafting, skin grafting, branch grafting, and dimple (ye page) grafting.He pointed out that the benefits of grafting are: "Once the grafting is done, the two spirits communicate, and the evil is beautiful, and the other is exchanged for the other, and the benefits are beyond words." Grafting technology is applied to the cultivation of flower bonsai, showing people a wonderful art world.Chen Hao (haohao) in the Qing Dynasty said in a book: Using the grafting method, "Small flowers can be large, single petals can be heavy, red can be purple, small can be huge, sour and bitter can be sweet, smelly and sour. The evil ones can be fragrant [fu pay], it is manpower that can return to heaven, only those who are exchanged can be passed on to their ears."

The practice of artificial asexual reproduction of the ancient Chinese people was the most abundant in the world at that time.Artificial asexual reproduction is faster than sexual reproduction, can maintain the original characteristics of cultivated varieties, and can promote new variations, and cultivate a large number of new varieties.The double-petaled flowers (peach, plum, rose, woody, peony, peony, hibiscus, camellia, etc.) and seedless fruits (persimmon, citrus, banana, etc.) created by our country are of various types and excellent quality, and have been introduced to all parts of the world. , become a treasure in the world.

The artificial selection of domesticated animals to keep the good from the bad has always been valued by our people. "Qi Min Yao Shu" summarizes the experience of selecting female animals and young animals.If you want to choose lambs born from the twelfth lunar month to the first lunar month as seeds, because the lambing ewes are fertilized in autumn when they are pregnant, so they are strong and milky, and the lambs can be connected to spring grass when they are weaned.Up to now, there is still the habit of selecting and keeping winter lambs as seeds in pastoral areas in Northwest my country.When selecting breeding stock, the working people in ancient my country attached great importance to the identification of appearance.To meet this need, physiognomy has emerged, which is the knowledge of distinguishing the good and bad of livestock and poultry based on their appearance characteristics.In the Spring and Autumn Period, a group of well-known horse and cow experts such as Bole and Ning Qi emerged in our country. In the Han Dynasty, there were also experts who were famous for horses, cows, and pigs. "Hanshu·Yiwenzhi" contains the works of Xiang Liuhu.The bronze horse style cast by Ma Yuan in the Eastern Han Dynasty is the first standard model for the identification of thoroughbred horses in my country.Physiognomy was highly developed in ancient my country.

Intraspecific hybridization is the most common method for humans to intervene in animal genetic variation.In the Western Han Dynasty, in order to improve the quality of riding horses for military use, the government introduced Wusun horses, Dawan horses and other fine-bred horses from the Western Regions.In the Tang Dynasty, various fine-bred horses were widely introduced from the minority areas in the north and west. All kinds of horses have certain marks, and a strict horse registration system was established.At that time, Longyou Ranch became a base for livestock cross-breeding.It is said in history that the Tang horse is "a mixed breed, but the horse is strong".Shayuanjian, one of the official pastures at that time, is located in Dali County, Shaanxi Province. Because of the sheep breeds from all over the country and the superior water and grass conditions, the same sheep with excellent skin, wool and meat quality were bred here. It is still an excellent breed of sheep in our country.

The ethnic minorities in our country still have the successful practice of cross-breeding among animal species.For example, the ancestors of nomadic peoples such as the Huns in the Mongolian grasslands used horses and donkeys to breed mules, which are important draft animals with the advantages of being resistant to rough feeding, hard work, strong pulling power, and strong disease resistance.The Tibetan people crossbred yellow cattle and yaks, and bred the offspring of hybrids—Pian Pian cattle—that are superior in meat, milk, and labor power to their parents.The time was before the 6th century AD.

The artificial selection of goldfish by our people is also worth mentioning.Goldfish evolved from golden crucian carp under artificial breeding conditions. It was first seen in records in the Southern Song Dynasty, and it began to spread during the Hongzhi period of Ming Dynasty (AD 1488-1505). Now it has become an ornamental fish all over the world.Darwin once systematically described the process and principles of China's artificial selection of goldfish, and pointed out that the Chinese also use these same principles in various plants and fruit trees. The measures of ancient Chinese agriculture to improve the production capacity of agricultural organisms, in addition to striving to cultivate high-yield, high-quality or domesticated animal and plant species and varieties suitable for certain needs of human beings, also took corresponding measures according to the characteristics of agricultural organisms.Both are based on the deepening correct understanding and ingenious utilization of various agricultural biological characteristics.

The ancient Chinese people made in-depth and meticulous observations of the external forms, living habits and requirements of the external environment of various agricultural organisms, and adopted different technical measures accordingly in order to obtain the best production results.For example, the two characters "红" and "红" in oracle bone inscriptions are the pictograms of millet and millet respectively, which correctly grasp the characteristics of the former gathering ears and the latter loose ears, and the performance is vivid.Judging from other ancient books, the ancients have long discovered that hemp is a dioecious plant and utilized them separately. Clothing materials.Later, I learned that male hemp has flowers but no fruit, while female hemp is pollinated by male hemp to produce fruit, so the male hemp can only be harvested after the male hemp has scattered pollen, otherwise the female hemp will not be able to set seeds.These understandings of plant characteristics were among the most advanced in the world at that time. "Qi Min Yao Shu" has many records about the "nature", "quality" and "natural nature" of various agricultural organisms, and the cultivation and management measures vary depending on their "nature".For example, leeks have a "root nature that jumps up", so they need to open extremely deep furrows; and "leeks are filthy in nature", that is, they love to grow grass, so "squeeze [hao Artemisia] to make them always clean".Shu mustard, brassica, and mustard seeds are "not cold-resistant, and will die after winter", so they must be planted in spring if they want to harvest seeds.Another example is the general principle of livestock service: "Serve cattle and ride horses, measure their strength; drink and feed in cold and warm temperatures, suit their nature."There are countless examples of this kind.This has also become a tradition of Chinese agronomy. Agricultural organisms have different characteristics and require different cultivation and management measures-people summarize this as "proper things". The concept of "things are appropriate" already appeared in "Han Feizi" during the Warring States Period.In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, people collectively referred to "material appropriateness", "time appropriateness" and "local appropriateness" as "three appropriateness".Ming Ma Yilong’s "Nong Shuo" explained "knowing the time" and "knowing the soil": "The time refers to the sky, the soil refers to the veins of the earth, and it is appropriate to refer to the crops. The power is used, and it is regarded as useful...Follow the weather and the earth , The appropriateness of the physical properties without any loss, is half the effort." The "appropriateness of the physical properties" mentioned here obviously refers to the crops.This is the first time that "materials are appropriate" has been explicitly included in the "three talents" theoretical system.Qing Yangqi's "Outline of Zhiben" talks about the requirements of "drying and dampness follow the nature" and "sparse and dense according to the original situation" when transplanting. When talking about fertilization requirements, in addition to paying attention to the timing and soil, we should also pay attention to the material. "Things that are suitable for things have different properties, each according to its own situation", and emphasizes that "tested by things, each is suitable for its nature". Improving the productivity of agricultural organisms goes beyond breeding.The vegetative growth and reproductive growth of agricultural organisms, as well as the different growth parts and growth periods, are interrelated. Using this relationship skillfully can control its development direction according to human needs and improve its production. ability. "The Book of Fansheng" once recommended the method of dragging the thorny firewood and raking the columbine after hoeing the wheat in autumn to block the soil on the roots of the wheat.This not only has the function of keeping moisture and warmth, but also inhibits the growth of wheat before winter.Because people realize that wheat is too prosperous before winter, it will affect the growth of wheat in the next spring after it turns green. Now there is a saying in the northern rural areas that "there is no two prosperity of wheat". "Qi Min Yao Shu" records "jujube marriage method" and "jujube tree vibrating flower method".The former is to hit the trunk with the back of the ax at random, so that the phloem of the trunk is partially injured, and part of the organic matter produced by photosynthesis is prevented from being transported downward, so that more organic matter stays in the upper part to supply branch fruiting, thereby improving yield and quality.Lin Qin, Li Shu, etc. also use similar methods.The girdling method in modern fruit tree production evolved from this.The latter is to hit the branches with a wooden stick when the large silkworms enter the cluster, and shake off the excessive flowers, which can not only ensure the fruit setting rate and make the fruit bigger, but also assist in pollination.This method has been used in the rural areas of North China until now, and the flower thinning and fruit thinning technology widely used in modern fruit tree production is also related to it.In ancient my country's agricultural production, similarly, the topping and pruning of melons, the topping and pruning of cotton, and the pruning and shaping of mulberry, tea, and fruit trees all made use of the interrelationships of various stages and parts of crop growth to suppress and promote growth. He, and for my use. There are similar approaches in animal production.For example, in the literature of the Song Dynasty, there is a method of artificially moulting to control the egg-laying time of geese.Because the summer is too hot, it is not easy to nest. At this time, the 12 he [he] feathers on the two wings of the goose are pulled out, and the goose stops laying eggs, and the laying period is extended to August.Another special achievement in improving the production capacity of livestock and poultry in ancient my country was the widespread application of castration.It originated very early, and the oracle bone inscriptions already have pictographic characters reflecting barrows and gelding [shan fan] horses. Both "Xia Xiaozheng" and "Zhou Li" have records of gelding horses, which are called "Gongju" or "Gongte". In "Shuowen Jiezi", there are castrated horses (騬〔cheng〕), cattle ("犗"〔jiejie〕, "荟"〔jian防〕), pigs ("豮"〔fen grave 〕), sheep ("羠"〔yiyi〕), dog ("猗"〔yiyi〕) special characters.Later, there appeared a special term for the capon technique——鏾〔xianxian〕.After the gonads (including testicles and ovaries) are removed, the livestock and poultry lose their reproductive ability, but they are docile and easy to fatten and serve.Castration is not only a means of weeding out the weak and retaining the strong when selecting breeding animals, but also an ingenious and economical method to improve the production capacity of livestock and poultry.Some ethnic minorities in our country also have superb castration techniques, and there are images of barbarian bullocks in the portrait bricks of the Han Dynasty.The Mongolians gelled all the male horses except for the stallions, which is a measure combined with the selection and retention of good breeds. In the agricultural ecosystem, all kinds of organisms are not isolated from each other, but interdependent and mutually restricted. People can use this relationship skillfully to make it develop in a direction that is beneficial to human beings, and improve the agricultural biological system as a whole. production capacity. The rich and colorful crop rotation and intercropping methods created by our country in the planting industry are based on a deep understanding of the mutual or mutually beneficial relationship between crop species, so as to adapt to the situation and avoid disadvantages.For example, Chen Yan recommended planting ramie under mulberry trees. Because mulberry roots are deep and ramie roots are shallow, "it doesn't matter". Moreover, when ramie is fertilized, mulberry also gets fertilizer, which is good for both.Jia Sixie advocated the mixed sowing of pagoda tree seeds and hemp seeds, which not only increases the production of pagoda tree seedlings before they grow up, but also can take advantage of the upright growth characteristics of marijuana to force pagoda trees to also grow upright.The 楮〔chu〕 tree seed is mixed with the hemp seed, and the hemp plant can be used to keep the 楮 sapling warm in winter. In terms of animal husbandry, the straw and chaff of crops that cannot be directly eaten by humans are used to feed animals. In addition to being used for human consumption, the animal products are used for fertilizing the fields, and animal power is also used for farming. This is based on the relationship between agriculture and animal husbandry. Multi-level recycling, although it is a relatively low-level form.Fish are raised in rice fields, fish eat weeds, fish feces fertilize the fields, and fish and rice benefit both.In pond fish farming, the polyculture of grass carp, silver carp and other fish was widely practiced in ancient my country.The ancients pointed out that the benefits of polyculture are: "Grass carp eats grass, silver carp eats the arrow (shit) of grass carp, and silver carp feeds on the arrow and is close to its tail, then grass carp swims in fear of itching, grass swims, and silver carp follows it. All fish swim Then the tail moves, and if it is fixed, it will not, so silver carp and grass are easy to get fat." ("Guang Zhiyi") This is the use of the symbiotic advantages of certain fish. Mutual inhibition among organisms can also turn harm into benefit, making it beneficial to human beings.People used mulberry trees to eat mulberry fruits at first. At that time, the silkworms that ate mulberry leaves were really harmful, but when people turned to silkworm cocoons for silk reeling, it was transformed from a pest of mulberry trees into a pest that "became the world". Beneficial insects.The otter is a natural enemy of fish and the scourge of artificial fish ponds, but when people raise it to catch fish, it transforms into a human assistant.Osprey fishing also falls into this category.Our people's understanding and utilization of the phenomenon of mutual restraint among various creatures in nature is very early.For example, people in ancient times used cats and tigers as one of the objects of sacrifice in the wax ceremony, because they knew that cats and tigers could prey on the harmful animals in the farmland-voles and field hogs.The development of this experience has produced the unique biological control technology in my country's traditional agriculture.Books such as "Southern Vegetation and Trees" written by Ji Han, a native of the Western Jin Dynasty, record that people in southern my country raised and sold Huangyi (jing Jing) ants to control pests of citrus trees. It is praised by foreign scholars as the earliest example of biological control in the world.In ancient my country, the protection of beneficial birds, raising ducks to control locusts and raising ducks to control rice field wedia [pengqi Pengqi] (crabs, small in size, growing in water, and pests in rice fields), etc., all use the mutual inhibition relationship between organisms to provide protection. agricultural production services.