The Agricultural Science and Technology Division of the Tai’an Municipal Science and Technology Bureau’s Nongda Fertilizer Precision Agriculture Project has received 3 million yuan in fiscal funding.

Recently, the second batch of Shandong Province’s Key R&D Program was officially announced, and the “Research and Demonstration of Key Technologies for Precise Water and Fertilizer Application in Protected Vegetable Production” project—submitted by Shandong Nongda Fertilizer Technology Co., Ltd. under the Shandong Major Science and Technology Innovation Project—was awarded 3 million yuan in government funding.

This project addresses existing challenges in the precise application of water and fertilizers to greenhouse vegetables. It investigates the patterns of water and fertilizer requirements for major greenhouse vegetable crops, develops technologies for efficient and precise water–fertilizer management, and designs specialized and functional water-soluble fertilizers, bio‑fertilizers, as well as advanced equipment and management systems for accurate and efficient water–fertilizer delivery. The project will also establish demonstration models for precision water–fertilizer management. Through this initiative, the study will elucidate the full‑season water and fertilizer demand patterns of two or more key greenhouse vegetable species and propose quantitative technical criteria for precision irrigation and fertilization. Furthermore, it will develop 2–3 sets of precision water–fertilizer application protocols for greenhouse vegetables, create 3–5 specialized bio‑fertilizer and functional water‑soluble fertilizer products, and design high‑efficiency, precision‑delivery equipment along with integrated precision irrigation and fertilization management systems. Under the assumption of stable yields, the project’s products and technologies are expected to achieve a 20% reduction in water use and a more than 15% decrease in chemical fertilizer application, generating cumulative economic benefits of RMB 350 million over the implementation period.

The project’s research findings will substantially elevate the precision of water and fertilizer application in facility‑grown vegetables in our province, foster the sound development of the vegetable industry, enhance the quality and market positioning of local vegetable products, build strong vegetable brands, strengthen international competitiveness, and drive high‑quality, efficient growth of the facility vegetable sector across Shandong and throughout China. (Agricultural Science Division)