In northwest China’s Uygur Autonomous Region, advancements in breeding high-quality cotton varieties, alongside increased digitalisation and mechanisation in farming practices, have greatly enhanced cotton output and quality. As one of the country’s top cotton-producing areas, Xinjiang plays a vital role in supplying premium raw materials to the textile and apparel industries.
On October 9, Li Xueyuan, Xinjiang's lead expert in cotton industry technology, announced a new national record in calculated per-unit cotton yield at a high-yield demonstration field in Jinghe County, Bortala Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture. Over recent years, Li and his team have independently developed more than 20 high-yield cotton varieties. Initially, the team focused only on yield increases, Li noted. Now, it aims for early maturity, premium quality, disease resistance, and suitability for mechanised harvesting. Most of these goals have now been met.
In support of these advances, Xinjiang's Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has implemented a comprehensive cotton production technology system with designated demonstration fields across major cotton-growing counties to encourage uniform development.
Digital farming is now a cornerstone of cotton cultivation in Xinjiang, enabling farmers to manage field practices, including irrigation and fertilisation, directly from their mobile phones. Dong Cheng long, a farmer in Jinghe County, shared how his robust cotton plants now grow densely with well-formed bolls, allowing him to oversee nearly 500 mu (around 33.3 hectare) of land by himself. Mechanised harvesters further streamline his work, with each cotton picker able to process an average of 500 mu per day—equivalent to the labor of 2,000 workers.
