Sichuan Nanchong LED Plant Factory is expected to produce more than 250 tons of tomatoes annually

There is a "carbon-fixing tomato factory" on the bank of the Jialing River in Jiangling Town, Gaoping District, Nanchong City, Sichuan Province - Fengyi Bay Sino-French Agricultural Science and Technology Park All-climate Intelligent Greenhouse.

Fengyi Bay Sino-French Agricultural Science and Technology Park started construction in February 2017. It is a key modern agricultural demonstration project for the Sichuan Provincial Government to promote Sino-French and Sichuan-French cooperation under the background of the "Belt and Road" initiative. It is also a national-level project jointly implemented by France and China. At present, the project has built a European standard circular agricultural area, a wetland ecological restoration area and a health water town, and has been included in the French "2015 Climate Plan" project and the 2015 Global Climate Summit Support Project.

As an important part of the Fengyi Bay Sino-French Agricultural Science and Technology Park project, the intelligent greenhouse is the first semi-enclosed all-climate intelligent greenhouse in the southwest region, and has explored a new development model combining biological carbon fixation and smart agriculture.

Cultivation troughs, HVAC rail compatible pipes, HVAC pipes between plants, LED supplementary lighting... In this greenhouse, rows of green cherry tomato vines spiral up to 3 meters high, like "carbon fixation model soldiers". On the computer in the greenhouse control room, the values of temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide concentration and other values are clear at a glance.

Round and bright cherry tomatoes are hung on the vines, and the roots of the vines are "planted" on the coconut bran strips of soilless cultivation. The lower part of the cherry tomato plant is a white wind tube with countless ventilation holes for air circulation, temperature regulation and carbon dioxide delivery.

"This white wind tube is the key to our application of carbon dioxide to cherry tomatoes, and it is also one of the secret weapons for the high yield of cherry tomatoes." Jiang Min, the on-site person in charge of the all-climate intelligent greenhouse of Fengyiwan Sino-French Agricultural Science and Technology Park, told reporters that it is expected that more than 250 tons of cherry tomatoes can be harvested this year, and more than 150 tons have been harvested so far, with a yield more than twice that of traditional planting.

"We have installed a set of intelligent control systems and equipment for the greenhouse through technical cooperation with agricultural companies in France, the Netherlands and other countries." Jiang Min said that the equipment collects carbon dioxide from the outside air, and the intelligent control system then replenishes it into the greenhouse through white air ducts according to the growth needs of cherry tomatoes, and then converts it into the "three meals a day" of cherry tomatoes through photosynthesis, thus achieving "carbon neutrality" and "carbon utilization".

"Traditional agriculture pays more attention to light, fertilizer and water, but ignores the role of carbon dioxide gas fertilizer. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is about 380ppm, while the most suitable concentration of carbon dioxide for photosynthesis of cherry tomato plants is 1100ppm-1500ppm, so increasing the concentration of carbon dioxide in the greenhouse will help improve the yield and quality of cherry tomatoes." Jiang Min said that such technology has been widely used in modern agricultural countries such as France and the Netherlands.

Jiang Min gave an example, saying that the concentration of carbon dioxide in the greenhouse was 1500ppm in rainy weather, and the concentration was only 500ppm after a few hours when the supplementary lighting equipment was turned on. "The cherry tomato plants in traditional greenhouses are often in a 'hungry' state. Regularly replenishing carbon dioxide gas in the greenhouse can not only promote the development of the plant's root system, increase the intensity and efficiency of the plant's photosynthesis, but also make the cherry tomato plants immune to leaf mold."

According to statistics from the staff of the Fengyiwan Sino-French Agricultural Science and Technology Park's all-climate smart greenhouse, the "tomato factory" with an area of more than 20,000 square meters fixes more than 200 tons of carbon a year, which is equivalent to planting more than 10,000 trees, and has a significant effect on the climate regulation of the Fengyiwan area in the Nanchong section of the Jialing River.