New Concept of Agriculture, Agricultural High-Quality Development

Agricultural development has gone through a long process. There are different concepts of agriculture, such as Ecological Agriculture [1], Organic Agriculture [2], Smart Agriculture [3-5] and data agriculture and so on. Now, Agricultural development enters the new stage of high-quality development. The high-quality development of agriculture is to take some measures and methods to make the land produce the maximum output and services to meet people’s yearning for a better life and the needs of agricultural production services [6]. The theoretical foundation of Agricultural high-quality development include Resources use limit by plants, Vegetation Carrying Capacity and the critical period of plant resources relationship regulation [6] specifically as follows:

Because Nature Resources are limited, the amount plant use resources also are limit. The limit calls the resources use limit by plants. It includes the space Resources use limit by plants in soil water and nutrient enough regions, soil water Resources use limit by plants in water limited regions [7] and soil nutrient Resources use limit by plants in soil nutrient limited regions [6,8]. One of the indicators to express the harmony degree of plant resources relationship is the resources use limit by plants. The plant resources relationship is the dynamics relationship. Plant growth changes greatly with the supply of resources as plants grow. There is an equilibrium point. At the equilibrium point, the supply of resources is equal to the demand of resources plant grow. The supply of resources is more than the demand of plant growth resources in resources rich period or years. According to the amplitude of the plant resources relationship, edible plants can be divided into two types: native plants and exotic plants. Because goods and services that native plant production cannot meet the peoples need, so most of old-growth vegetation was changed into man-made vegetation, edible plan belongs to exotic plants.

Because some exotic plants have good ability to adapt themselves to the local environment, these plants do not need to regulate edible plant and resources relationship, such as Saskatoon berries (Amelanchier alnifolia Nutt) planted in the semiarid loess hilly region of China, see Figure 1. Red plum apricot and corn all is not native to the semiarid loess hilly region of China. After being introducing to the semiarid loess hilly region of China, the Amelanchier alnifolia plant grow fast and well and fast bear fruit. But Corn in the semiarid loess hilly region of China (Guyuan, China) cannot adapt themselves to the dry environment. In the study site, corn should be sowed in April and mature in September. The plant resources relationship should be regulated according to resources use limit by plant and vegetation carry capacity. For example, the resources use limit by plants in the Shanghuang Eco-experimental Station is soil water resources use limit by plant because the station belongs to water-limited regions. The soil water resources use limit by plant is soil water storage in the maximum infiltration depth when the soil moisture content of all layers within the maximum infiltration depth range is equal to the withering coefficient [9- 12]. The Use Limit of Soil Water Resources by red plum apricot see Table 1. When soil water resources in the maximum infiltration depth is equal to soil water resources use limit by plant, the plant water relationship enters the key period of plant water relationship regulation and should consider be regulated [11,12].

Figure 1:Saskatoon berries grow well in the Shanghuang Eco-experimental Station, China.

Table 1:The Use Limit of soil water resources by red plum apricot.

Nature Resources is limit to plant and the resources plant use also is limit. The limit is vegetation carrying capacity, which decides the quantity of plant resources relationship regulation. Vegetation carrying capacity is the ability of land resources to support vegetation, which can be defined as the maximum density (relative index) or population number (absolute index) of an indicator plant that land resources can support normal plant growth in a plant community.

Because land resources can be divided into three types of vegetation carrying capacity according to the influence of land resources on plant growth, vegetation carrying capacity includes spatial vegetation carrying capacity, soil water vegetation carrying capacity, and soil nutrient vegetation carrying capacity. Spatial vegetation carrying capacity is the ability of spatial resources to support vegetation in the soil water and soil nutrient rich regions. Soil water vegetation carrying capacity is the ability of soil water resources to support vegetation in the water limited region. Soil water resources are the water stored in the soil, especially in root zone and the critical period of plant water relationship regulation. Soil water vegetation carrying capacity is the plant density when soil water supply is equal to soil water consumption in a given period, especially the key period of plant resources relationship regulation. Soil nutrient carrying capacity is limited by soil nutrient resources, and soil water carrying capacity is limited by soil water resources. Soil nutrient carrying capacity can be divided further into soil N carrying capacity, which is driven by soil N storage or resources, soil phosphorus (P) carrying capacity, which is driven by soil P storage or resources, and soil potassium (K) carrying capacity, which is driven by soil K storage or resources [8]. Temperature vegetation carrying capacity is the ability of temperature resources to support vegetation.

Vegetation Carrying Capacity can be expressed by the maximum density (relative index) or population size (absolute index) of an indicator plant in a plant community when the soil water consumption equal soil water supply in the root zone soil over a given time scale, especially critical period of plant-water relationship regulation and minimum death days because they decide the maximum yield and beneficial effect. minimum death days in which the relationship between soil water and plant growth decided plant growth condition during whole season and the maximal produce and service of a plant ecosystem in waterlimited regions. The plant resources relation has to be regulated on Vegetation Carrying Capacity. The plant water relation has to be regulated on the Soil Water Vegetation Carrying Capacity in the site because the station belongs to water limited regions, otherwise, soil water drought would cause soil degradation, vegetation decline, or crop failure in water resources rich year or waste in water resources rich years [13-16].

Soil water vegetation carrying capacity is limited in water shortage area, which is called soil water vegetation carrying capacity [6]. It is the ability of soil water resources to support the vegetation [3,9-15,17-20] or irrigation was used to add water to meet the need of plant water in water limited regions if there are water resources to make corn grow well in dry year to obtain maximum yield and beneficial result.

Soil water vegetation carrying capacity is the ability of soil water resources to support vegetation, expressed by the maximum quantity or plant density of indicator plant in the plant community soil water resources per unit area can maintain healthy growth of indicator plants at a given period and site condition [14] and can be estimated by soil water-lant density model [10,11]. Soil water vegetation carrying capacity changes with plant species (vegetation type), time and location, is the theoretical basis for high quality and sustainable management of plantation, orchard, grass and crop [6,10].

Plant and resources relationship can be divided into two kinds, one is the dynamic balance or harmony relationship such as native plants in original vegetation because the plant resources relationship is developed on the basis of long-term evolution and plant have certain self-regulation ability and can self-regulate the relationship with nature. Even if the ecological environment changes to some extent within the limit of plant use resources during the season growth of plants, especially in the critical period of plant resources relationship regulation as long as the available resources do not exceed the limit of the use of resources by plants, or the plants can adjust themselves to adapt to the changes, the plants will blossom and bear fruit, see Figure 1. This kind of plant resource relationship cannot be regulated. Another is not balance or harmony plant resource relationship such as most exotic plants, see Figure 2. Thess kinds of plant resources relationship has to be regulated.

Figure 2:Mulch and ridge tillage corn plants wilt in critical period of plant water relationship regulation in the Shanghuang Eco-experimental Station in 2021, China.

The critical period of plant water relationship regulation is the most important period in plant growing season because it decides the maximum yield and benefit food plant, which range from the starting time soil water resources in the maximum infiltration depth equal soil water resources use limit by plant [18] to the failure time to regulate plant water relationship on soil water vegetation carrying capacity. The soil water resources in the critical period of plant water relation regulation are the soil water resources in the root zone at the starting time of the critical period of plant water relation regulation plus soil water supply from precipitation through canopy in the critical period of plant water relation regulation [11,12].

In order to obtain maximum yield of food plant and realize high quality production of food plant and high quality and sustainable development of social economy, it is time to adjust plant resources relationship regulation on the limit of resources utilization by plant and the vegetation carrying capacity to obtain the maximum yield and benefit of food plant and meet sustainable supply of plant based foods in market , when the preserve plant density in the critical period of plant resources relationship regulation is more than vegetation carrying capacity, the plant resources relationship regulation must be adjusted.

The critical period of plant resources relationship regulation includes the critical period of plant space resources relationship regulation in soil water and soil nutrient rich regions; the critical period of plant water relationship regulation in soil water-limited regions and the critical period of plant soil nutrient relationship regulation in soil nutrient limited regions. The soil water vegetation carrying capacity in the critical period of plant water relation regulation, which is the ability of soil water resources in the critical period of plant water relation regulation to support vegetation. The reducing amount of plant is equal to preserve density minus soil water vegetation carry capacity denoted by the number or density of a population of indicative plants. For example, the station belongs to the semi-arid Loess Hilly region, which belong to the waterlimited regions, the limit theory of resource utilization by plant is the soil water resources utilization limit by plants and the carrying capacity of vegetation is soil water vegetation carrying capacity because soil water mainly come from precipitation and underwater is deep and there is not irrigation condition.

According to three years study of red plum apricot from 2017 to 2021 in the station, the factors influencing the high quality production of red plum apricot is the low temperature and frost happened in the early spring from the last ten days of March to the middle ten days of April, which influences the development of flowers, pollination and young fruit of red plum apricot, hearteating insects influences the young fruit development of red plum apricot when the young fruit of red plum apricot grows to 0.8 ~ 1.0cm in diameter on the around May 20, and soil dry. When the soil water resources in the maximum infiltration depth reduced to Soil Water Resources use limit by red plum apricot, the plant water relationship should be considered regulate. When the leaf amount is more than the suitable leaf amount when present density is equal to soil water vegetation carrying capacity in the critical period of plant water relationship regulation, showing that soil water severely influences plant growth. At this time, plant resources relation has to be regulated on the suitable number of leaves, which is the number of leaves when the present density is equal to the soil water vegetation carrying capacity. For example, in the corn land, because plant water relation generally should be regulated by pruning some branch and leave quantity instead of cutting some plant and then regulate the fruit and leave relation because the power of leave to produce carbohydrate is limit.

Because the indicate plant in original vegetation is dominate species, especially constructive species, the uppermost dominant species, which is native to the local region because for a long time they have developed a good relationship with the local condition, plant resources relationship is very harmony and plant grow well and bear fruit but the goods and service cannot meet people’s need, a lot of original vegetation has been changed into non-native plantation such as Saskatoon berries in the semiarid region, China, they grow and develop well, suitable for local climate, easy to develop. But another plant, such as corn and red plum apricot, are not suited to the local climate and need to regulate plant resource relationships. So, in order to carry out sustainable use of natural resources and Agriculture high quality development, we have to use the natural resources in sustainable way. So, we have to select excellent tree species or varieties, take appropriate initial plant density and effect measures to ensure plant grow well and get the cultivated goal. If there are plants that are overusing natural resources because the plant density exceeds the vegetation capacity or underuse natural resources, the plant resources relation should be regulated by the natural resources use limit by plants increases and vegetation carrying capacity, especially the vegetation carrying capacity in the critical period of plant resources relation regulation if the available resources decrease to the limit of resource utilization by plant, which is the function of plant species and location [10].

If available natural resources are smaller than the natural resources use limit by plants, the plant resources relationship enters the critical period of plant resources relation regulation, and the ending time of the critical period of plant resources relation regulation is the ineffective time of plant resources relation regulation. The vegetation carrying capacity is the ability of nature resources to carry vegetation, which changes with plant species, time and location [10,21]. We should take effective measures, such as weeding, fertilizing and irrigation (if having water resources) to ensure plant growth well and get the cultivated goal in the process of production. If the plant density is more than the vegetation carrying capacity in the critical period of plant resources relation regulation, showing that the plant resources relationship should be regulated, otherwise the further increase of natural resources used by plant will lead to the decline of vegetation and the decline of grain yield and quality [6,9-15,17,21] (Figure 3 & 4).

Figure 3:The change of average monthly precipitation with month in a year in the Shanghuang Eco-experimental Station.

Figure 4:Change of precipitation with year in the Shanghuang Eco-experimental Station.

Agricultural development has gone through a long process. After Low level development stage, primitive agriculture, agricultural development has entered a new stage of high-quality development. Agricultural high-quality development is to select excellent tree species or varieties, take appropriate initial plant density and effective measures to ensure the healthy growth of plants and get the goal of cultivation, get the maximum yield and service and realize. If the servant plant density is more than the vegetation carrying capacity and the critical period of plant resource relationship regulation, we should regulate the plant resources relationship in critical period of plant resources relationship to obtain maximum yield and service and carry out sustainable use of resources and Agriculture high quality development [22-29]. For economic species or crops, we should regulate the relationship between vegetative growth and reproductive growth according to Suitable leaf amount, the leaf amount when the plant density is equal to vegetation carrying capacity, and the relationship between the leaves and the number of fruits that meet the market demand [6].

Because of the large population, large agricultural area and large quantity of crops, resources use limit by plants, vegetation carrying capacity, the critical period of plant resources relation regulation include space resources use limit by plants, space vegetation carrying capacity and the critical period of plant space resources relation regulation in soil water and soil nutrient rich regions, soil water resources use limit by plants, soil water vegetation carrying capacity and the critical period of plant water relation regulation in water limited regions ,and soil nutrient resources use limit by plants, soil nutrient vegetation carrying capacity and the critical period of plant soil nutrient relation regulation in water limited regions, vegetation carrying capacity change with time, so we have to strengthened the research of high-quality agricultural production and carry out sustainable use of resources and agriculture high quality development and meet people’s needs for crop types, yields and quality for a better life [30-41]. Acknowledgement This project was supported by the National Science Foundation of China (Project No: 42077079,41271539,41071193) and Study on high quality sustainable development of soil and water conservation (A2180021002).

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