Professor Huang Yuan poses for a photo with local farmers in a thriving vegetable greenhouse. [Photo/news.hzau.edu.cn]

Professor Huang Yuan from Huazhong Agricultural University is spearheading a new wave of "sweet businesses" in Naidong district, Shannan city, in the Xizang autonomous region. He and his team are using technology to transform the plateau's agricultural landscape.

Cultivating crops in the plateau's greenhouses is a challenging task. To address the significant temperature differences between day and night, Huang's team developed a multi-layer greenhouse covering technology. This innovation retains heat effectively while preventing moisture from damaging the crops. They also introduced a water and fertilizer integrated drip irrigation system to ensure precise and efficient resource use. The team has conducted extensive research into organic fertilizers, biopesticides, and ecological pest control, paving a new path for high-yield, sustainable, and efficient plateau agriculture.

In Qusong county, Shannan city, Huang's team has transformed traditional planting areas into digital farmlands. By integrating the internet of things, artificial intelligence, and big data, these fields can now sense the environment in real time, analyze data, and optimize management autonomously. These greenhouses are now home to over 120 varieties of thriving vegetables, including tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers.

Huang and his team remain in Shannan and are dedicated to every step of the way, from seed selection and grafting to soil improvement and pest control. By partnering with local enterprises, they are exploring new ways to advance the high-quality development of the plateau's vegetable industry.