Chapter 303 Natural Enemies
Guo Yang selectively told Luo Xiu about the recent situation in the country, Happy Farm, drones, and the dispute with Japan and the United States in the past two days.

Luo Xiu frowned slightly and said, "Will there be any unexpected risks if we go to North America?"

In recent years, there has been a lot of competition between Golden Harvest and American companies.

Monsanto, DuPont Pioneer, etc., but the competition is still within the commercial scope and all involve the domestic market of China.

From this perspective, there is not much danger.

After thinking for a while, Guo Yang was still worried about the soybean war a few years ago, in which Jiahe snatched a piece of fat meat from the four major grain traders and international funds.

From this perspective, there is a considerable risk.

The only one left is Alfalfa No. 1, a product of Golden Harvest, which is very tempting to American companies and research institutions.

After hesitating for a while, Guo Yang weighed the pros and cons.

The United States is the world's largest exporter of agricultural products. According to current domestic development trends, competition between the two sides in agricultural product exports will only become increasingly fierce in the future.

The contradiction will become more and more serious.

If you must go to North America, now is the best time, it may be more difficult later.

So does that mean I have to go?
Maybe I really have to go.

The agricultural development situation, layout, etc. of the Americans can all be solved through information transmission, and even local seeds can be introduced.

But how to get the cultivated seeds into North America will become a new problem.

Today, intentional and unintentional biological invasions are no longer a secret, and all countries have suffered varying degrees of harm.

Asian carp, longhorn beetle, etc. It is estimated that the losses caused to the United States by alien harmful species reach 100 billion US dollars each year.

There are also cases of water hyacinth, Egyptian pond mullet, etc. in China.

Also because of various examples in the past, customs quarantine in various countries is becoming more and more strict.

It is difficult for foreign seeds to enter the country, let alone seeds that want to cause trouble.

If you want to plant mines on American agriculture, you must have both quantity and variety, including forage grass, corn, cotton, fruit, etc. You can use some if you get the chance.

After thinking for a while, Guo Yang said, "We have to go even if there are risks. This may be our last chance."

Luo Xiu nodded silently, thinking about how to arrange it.

“It’s also possible that nothing will happen.”

The preparation for this food crisis took more than three years from beginning to end. On the surface, Jiahe Grain and Oil was also the party that raised food prices.

As long as we can resolve the issue quickly, there shouldn't be any major problems.

Guo Yang found an opportunity to communicate with the Ministry of Agriculture, and sure enough, the answer he got was basically the same. The relationship between the two sides had not deteriorated that much during this period.

However, the relevant departments still arranged for Guo Yang to join a visiting group, but he had to wait for another two days.

Moreover, after arriving in the United States, Guo Yang still had to act alone. The visiting group only added Guo Yang's name, which could barely be considered an official identity.

Taking advantage of this break, Guo Yang came to Tianhe Seed Science Academy early in the morning.

Bi Qiang was not in the hospital, but Guo Yang had the relevant authority and directly collected a copy of the resources accumulated in the hospital in recent times.

Then he called Bi Qiang, "Where are you? How is the cooperation with Professor Zhong Yang going?"

"At the experimental station on the edge of the desert." Bi Qiang said: "Professor Zhong Yang also sent a three-person team to help collect seeds, but they haven't returned yet."

After asking which test station it was, Guo Yang took Luo Xiu and rushed over directly, which was equivalent to inspecting the work.

After two years of development, Tianhe Science Academy has gradually grown its team of scientific researchers due to sufficient funding.

Sometimes, breeding really depends on human effort.

Tianhe Science Academy is based in the northwest and, with a large amount of manpower, strives to develop plant resources in saline-alkali and sandy areas.

Collect salt-tolerant plants extensively and discover halophytes and xerophytes with specific uses.

At the same time, influenced by Guo Yang's breeding concepts, these scientific researchers are not confined to one style or biased towards one view. They are generally able to go beyond the conventional understanding, put forward some novel ideas, and put them into research in an effort to achieve breakthroughs.

After Guo Yang arrived at the experimental station on the edge of the desert, he found that the experimental station and the 50 acres of saline-alkali land newly contracted by Alfalfa in Jinta were adjacent to each other, less than one kilometer apart.

But this side of the experimental station is already a sandy area.

A group of dark-skinned scientific researchers wearing caps sat in the sand in the morning before it got too hot, using tweezers to pollinate the plants little by little, and after pollination they took detailed records and annotations.

At this time, Bi Qiang was standing in the sand and chatting with a man in long sleeves.

Guo Yang walked straight over.

“What kind of seeds are being cultivated?”

Bi Qiang smiled and asked Shamu to tell you that this project was initiated by him.

It was then that Guo Yang noticed that Shamu should be a member of a minority ethnic group. He had a high nose bridge, big eyes, and very thick eyebrows. He looked like a Kazakh.

Not very old, but also very tanned.

"We are studying a legume plant that can adapt to small amounts of rainfall in sandy areas and can grow with 'instant' water storage," Shamu said.

Guo Yang was stunned for a moment before he asked, "It's actually a drought-tolerant plant, right?"

"You can understand it that way," Shamu explained, "but it's actually more like Haloxylon ammodendron seeds. As long as there's rain, they can quickly germinate and take root in a short time."

Guo Yang didn't figure out where this thing could be used for a moment, so he stopped thinking about it and pulled Bi Qiang aside.

"Sure, now this is a wide range of research."

"I have no choice. We have sufficient funds. As long as the project seems feasible and has a potential for use, I will approve it."

Bi Qiang took Guo Yang to a poplar tree by the road and said with a smile:
"There is also the plan you mentioned earlier to use natural enemies to control insects. Two experimental observation stations have also been built."

"But the experimental station in Jiuquan has screened out some herbivorous insects with strong feeding habits among the insects collected. Now we are excited again and plan to conduct more extensive collection and screening to see if they can replace some chemical herbicides."

"This is a good thing!" Guo Yang also exclaimed.

Natural enemy insects have already been used in some applications internationally, and some well-known natural enemy insect companies have emerged.

The breeding and commercial production of natural enemy insects in some countries are gradually maturing.

However, I don't know if there is any research on using insects to control companion weeds.

"I didn't really understand it, but I hired a few people and made it look pretty good."

"Go and have a look."

"I'm still busy here!"

"Why, do you still have time to do the experiment yourself?" Guo Yang pulled Bi Qiang away. It was mainly about the insects. He thought that he might be able to come up with some surprises.

"You have to let me explain."

"Go, go, go."

After waiting for a while, several people went to the insect observation point, which was at a vegetable base.

Seen from the sky, it looks like a colorful canvas.

The observation and experimental site is located in the middle of the vegetable base. It looks very simple, with only two houses, one large and one small, but the facilities inside are quite complete.

"Where is the other observation point?"

"In Beijing." Bi Qiang said, "The scientific research foundation there is stronger."

Guo Yang did not comment. The country's natural enemy insects also developed in Beijing and other places, but that was driven by policies.

There is almost no development of the natural enemy industry at this moment, but there are indeed a group of insect experts with rich experience in colleges and universities.

Xu Xuenong, the head of Tianhe's Insect Department, is a doctoral graduate in agricultural entomology and has studied under many famous entomology professors.

I could have stayed at the school to teach, but I ultimately chose to join Tianhe.

"Natural enemy resource monitoring is a century-long project," said Xu Xuenong. "It is a fundamental, long-term task."

"If we don't know the natural enemy insect resources in nature, we won't know which natural enemies can be used in pest control, and there will be no way to talk about natural enemy control."

Guo Yang said: "Does it mean that two observation points are too few?"

Xu Xuenong was stunned. Is this how he understood it? But it didn't seem to be wrong.

"Our country is vast and rich in resources. It is not easy to understand our resources. This should be a national project."

Guo Yang raised his eyebrows and asked, "How many observation points are needed to cover the entire country?"

"Observation points are not enough," Xu Xuenong said. "At least there should be monitoring experimental stations, and there should be no less than 100 of them. Then the first-hand data collected by all the stations should be regularly summarized and processed and coordinated to form a data resource with reference significance."

“There is no country in the world that has a natural enemy center.”

Guo Yang was silent for a moment and said, "Let's take a look first."

Xu Xuenong didn't expect Tianhe to really invest. The experimental station didn't require much money, but the key was that it needed people.

There are many ways to monitor natural enemy insects, including collecting using Malay nets, sweeping nets, shaking off collection, and direct observation.

Xu Xuenong used the Malay net.

This is a kind of net similar to a small tent, with a sloped top that becomes narrower and narrower. There is an opening at the top with an alcohol bottle hanging at the opening.

As insects fly or crawl through, they are caught at the bottom of the net.

Since they tend to only climb upwards, they will always make it to the top and fall into the bottle, just retrieving it periodically.

Xu Xuenong took Guo Yang and Bi Qiang to the edge of a pepper field and took the bottle down from a Malay net.

"This thing is convenient. I can collect a full bottle of bugs every two weeks, saving labor and time. The collected samples are also relatively clean and have fewer impurities, which is conducive to subsequent DNA testing to see what kind of bugs they are."

"There are now more than 30 types of natural enemies that have been isolated and identified, including Coleoptera, Araneae, Acarina and other natural enemy groups, and a large number of natural enemies are yet to be identified."

"Give me some data later." Guo Yang said, "What have you found so far?"

"Yes, in addition to the common predatory ladybugs such as the seven-spotted ladybug, six-spotted ladybug, and proto-be, there are also two fungus-eating ladybug groups. They feed on pathogens and are natural enemies that can treat powdery mildew in plant seedlings. They are preliminarily identified as the narrow-leaved fungus ladybug and the twenty-spotted fungus ladybug."

"Good."

Guo Yang didn’t understand many professional terms, but he understood the word “cure diseases”.

"Can it be used directly in production?" Guo Yang asked.

"It's still a bit difficult." Xu Xuenong said: "There is no experience in building natural enemy factories in China at present."

"In addition to our lack of understanding of natural enemy resources themselves, an important reason is the natural attributes of natural enemies themselves."

“There are certain standards for whether natural enemies can be raised in the laboratory or on a large scale, such as whether they have strong insect-catching abilities and whether they are suitable for breeding.”

"For example, the giant red mite is a powerful hunter against many small pests in the field, but it is difficult to raise the giant red mite because it has a very strong ability to self-harm. If the population is large, it will "kill each other."

"At present, only a few species such as trichogrammatids, lacewings and ladybugs have mastered the breeding methods, but the factory production line still needs the cooperation of multiple departments to try."

"Try it bravely."

Guo Yang said without hesitation. Although he didn't know much about entomology, after listening for a while, he knew that Xu Xuenong had something up his sleeve.

He should have already thought about how to develop the natural enemy industry. What he needs to do now is to support, support, and support again.

"We are not afraid of the cost of trial and error, but we are afraid of missing out. If you need anything, just report it directly. I will say hello to Qu Yang, Pu Fei, and Yu Qin."

Xu Xuenong and Bi Qiang both nodded solemnly. Such a boss who is willing to invest is the most favorite of all scientific researchers.

The natural enemy factory is a new thing in China, and collection is relatively easy, but like production, monitoring is also a difficult task.

Because insect populations are dynamic.

Only by understanding 'how to change' can we provide a reference for subsequent biological control.

Otherwise, directly releasing natural enemies may disrupt the ecological balance.

The topic returned to the original focus on natural enemies.

It is the same principle as the germplasm resource bank. It is a kind of resource reserve, like buried minerals, which can be used directly when needed.

However, unlike germplasm resource banks that can rely on national resources, there is very little basic research on natural enemy insect resources in China.

The three of them had a discussion together.

Finally, Guo Yang said:

“It’s not realistic to build a national natural enemy center, but we can start at the regional level and radiate to areas where Jiahe is developing organic agriculture.”

"While collecting and monitoring, we also expand production, and then directly connect with our counterparts in the field for practical application."

Xu Xuenong thought for a moment and said, "It's best to choose agricultural products with higher value."

"That's the truth."

"Okay, that's it." Guo Yang said, "Let's go, pack up, go back together, and collect a copy of the existing information for me."

After a while, Guo Yang got the insect data that had been analyzed by Xu Xuenong and others.

In the evening, Guo Yang invited Bi Qiang, Xu Xuenong, and several other members of the Future Natural Enemy Insect Resource Center to have a big dinner together.

He encouraged the newly formed team and expressed his importance.

Build up an army of natural enemies as early as possible.

Only after returning home did Guo Yang have time to check the insect information, which recorded the information of various natural enemy insects.

Harmonyous ladybird, Chinese lacewings, trichogrammatids...and corresponding pests such as white moths, aphids, scale insects, etc.

Guo Yang then took out a white bottle containing predatory mites and other insects.

With a little tinkering from the seed store, breeding and modifying insects is simple.

However, in order to perfectly fit the regional ecological environment, the required natural energy will increase exponentially.

Guo Yang endured it.

Then they tried species of plants and animals that could specifically destroy the ecological balance, and were surprised to find that they required even more natural energy.

For example, a white-grade forage grass variety only requires 0 to 20 points, but if it turns into a weed with ecological destructive capabilities, the required natural energy will increase by 3 to 5 times.

The higher the level, the more energy is required.

Guo Yang was in a trance for a while. "Natural energy can only be obtained through environmental restoration. It seems reasonable that more natural energy is needed to destroy the ecological environment."

"Fortunately, there is enough natural energy left, otherwise it would be a bit troublesome."

Another half a month has passed, and now the energy has reached 6238 points, which is still sufficient.

"Flowers, fruits and vegetables, extreme environments, insects..."

Guo Yang typed several categories that he had cultivation intentions into a word document and wrote them down.

I plan to start training it after I return to China.

On June 14, Guo Yang convened a short meeting with the senior management team and assigned some tasks.

At the same time, Bi Qiang was given greater power.

Guo Yang even thought about promoting Bi Qiang to vice president of the group, but after thinking about it, he decided not to do so, thinking that too much is as bad as too little.

That afternoon, Guo Yang rushed to Beijing and met Zeng Changxing from the China Institute of International Studies, who was traveling with him.

and He Wen, director of the Chinese American Economic Association.

In addition, there were some other people accompanying him, but Guo Yang did not communicate with them too much and still planned to keep a low profile.

However, he wanted to keep a low profile, but He Wen at the side took the initiative to bring up the topic.

"Mr. Guo, Jiahe's Elf drone will be available for pre-sale overseas tomorrow, right?"

"Yes." Of course Guo Yang remembered this matter. They had just discussed it this morning, and Wang Tao had also arrived in the United States.

"Congratulations in advance to Mr. Guo on the big sale." He Wen said with a smile.

Guo Yang said: "Jiahe is relatively unknown in the technology field, and it is estimated that few people will attend the pre-sale meeting."

"Jiahe is well-known in the agricultural field. Tianhe's forage grass, corn and other seeds are first-class seeds even in the world."

"Director He is also researching agriculture?"

"Hahaha, I know a little bit." He Wen laughed and said, "I also studied American agriculture for a period of time before."

He Wen obviously wanted to find someone to talk to, and Guo Yang had no reason to refuse.

"Then I would like to ask for your advice."

“It’s not really about asking for advice, it’s just about learning from each other.”

He Wen pondered for a while and said, "When it comes to American agriculture, there is a lot to say."

"In 1862, the United States enacted the Homestead Act, which allowed immigrants to occupy no more than 10 acres of wasteland by paying a $160 fee."

"And after five years of cultivation, the farmland can become your own property, thus establishing the basic form of family farm management."

"As of last year, there were 220 million farms in the United States, of which approximately 190 million were owned entirely by individual farmers."

"There are 220 million farms, with an average operating area of ​​418 acres, or about 2500 acres."

"In this regard, the agricultural paths of China and the United States are very different, and China still has a long way to go."

Guo Yang nodded without comment. He found that He Wen seemed to be promoting American agriculture.

Sure enough, He Wen then praised the high efficiency of its agriculture, focusing on scale, knowledge, informatization, mechanization, internationalization, etc.

During this time, Guo Yang just listened and did not express any opinion.

There is not necessarily anything wrong with He Wen. At that time, there was indeed a group of people in China who believed that we should learn from the agricultural practices of Europe and the United States.

"The United States is the world's largest exporter of agricultural products, accounting for one-sixth of the world's total. Last year, the total value of agricultural exports was nearly $100 billion..."

When He Wen was speaking excitedly, Zeng Changxing from the Institute of International Studies could no longer sit still.

He coughed first, then turned his head and said, "What's so glorious about this?"

"Of that $100 billion, $10 billion is soybeans. How much of that was bought domestically?"

The atmosphere was silent for a while.

Guo Yang recalled the numbers in his mind, "Last year, China imported about 2800 million tons of soybeans, and about 1000 million tons came from the United States."

“It’s worth $25 billion.”

Zeng Changxing looked at Guo Yang in surprise and said, "As expected of the boss of Jiahe, he knows his business very well."

He Wen also came to his senses and realized that it was just a one-man show by him.

"That's because the domestic soybean industry is too weak in competitiveness."

Zeng Changxing said, "Mr. Guo, why don't you tell me that Jiahe seems to have a soybean business as well?"

Guo Yang smiled and said, "What's there to discuss about the past? We should look forward."

As the domestic market is pessimistic about the development of the soybean industry, Zeng Changxing has not heard such remarks for a long time.

"Oh? Mr. Guo is very optimistic about the domestic soybean industry."

"good."

"Yes, yes. No, no. What is OK?"

Guo Yang smiled but said nothing, obviously not wanting to get entangled any further.

He Wen said at this time: "Soybeans are indeed a weakness, but the main reason is the gap in economic strength. The subsidies in the United States are too high."

Zeng Changxing also agrees with this point.

"Subsidizing agriculture and supporting exports, since the enactment of the 02 Farm Bill, the whole world has been opposing America's agricultural hegemony."

“But the effect is minimal.”

He Wen said: "It's not completely ineffective. At least it has changed from an open subsidy to a hidden subsidy. Farmers only buy a $300 policy for crop disaster insurance, but the government will subsidize you $1000."

"American agriculture has always enjoyed generous government subsidies. Since the new law was enacted, various agricultural subsidies have totaled $1000 billion per year."

"In addition, the government will provide an export guarantee of US$30 per year for agricultural product exports."

"So American farmers have nothing to fear. They can sell at lower prices in the international market without worrying about bad debts, and their exports are naturally guaranteed."

"Mr. Guo should be very touched, right?"

His gaze returned to Guo Yang.

Guo Yang thought for a long time before he said, "Well, I am deeply touched."

"It's gone?"

"I'm just a businessman. How can I do research as deeply as these two experts?" Guo Yang said sincerely.

"Jiahe has planted one million mu of soybeans in the northwest this year. There are also soybean bases in Binhai and Southwest China that cooperate with Jiahe Grain and Oil, right?"

"Mr. Zeng knows Jiahe so well?"

"I was present when the experts reviewed the soybean industry's subsidy policy, and the guy from Jiahe who attended the meeting even left me his phone number."

Guo Yang quickly pondered the relationship between international issues research and the soybean industry.

The formulation of subsidy policies for domestic soybeans must indeed take into account the subsidy situation in other countries.

"In the international agricultural product market, the United States currently has a strong control. Jiahe is just a company and can only contribute to domestic agriculture as much as possible."

Zeng Changxing was not very satisfied with this answer, as he knew something about Jiahe's situation.

Not only soybean bases and soybean processing plants, Tianhe’s soybean seeds have also shown great potential, and the domestic arable land area is also increasing.

But maybe there were other people on the plane, and Boss Guo was obviously not in a good mood and didn't want to talk more, so he didn't bother him anymore.

He Wen didn't think too much about it. The high subsidies from the United States are a hurdle that no country can avoid.

As Guo Yang said, Jiahe is just a company, how much impact can it have?

The plane fell silent.

Guo Yang also breathed a sigh of relief. He really didn't want to say anything more about the soybean issue.

Everyone on the plane is going to America. If they say too much, who knows what kind of trouble they might get into.

Besides, he really wanted to rest for a while.

The long-distance flight was very torturous. Guo Yang could only plan his next trip while thinking about how to sabotage it without anyone noticing.

Creating an entirely new species is expensive; it is better to adapt an existing invasive species.

……

June 17, Los Angeles, California.

"Mr. Guo, we will stay here for half a month and reunite after half a month."

"it is good."

After bidding farewell to He Wen and his party, Guo Yang and Luo Xiu flew to Chicago.

The world's most important agricultural futures exchange is located here, and Jiahe Grain and Oil also has an office here.

Tianhe’s North American branch and breeding station are also located in Illinois, where Chicago is located.

After arriving here, Guo Yang will have enough manpower to deploy.

It is also one of the major agricultural states in the United States. 80% of the land is used for agriculture, and the average cultivated area per farmer is 2100 acres.

Soybean production ranks first in the United States, and corn production ranks either first or second.

Guo Yang’s goal is clear.

There is no need to participate too much in grain futures. The right thing to do is to seize the time to complete breeding.

First of all, in order to enter the North American market, Guo Yang cultivated one variety of each using the germplasm resources collected by the breeding station.

Then came the planning of sabotage.

Guo Yang had already thought of an idea. The soybeans and corn in Illinois are mainly genetically modified seeds.

Monsanto's soybeans are genetically modified to resist the herbicide glyphosate, which kills ordinary soybean plants along with weeds.

Monsanto's newly launched Roundup 2 soybean is also a high-yield seed.

In this case, Guo Yang plans to cultivate a weed that glyphosate cannot kill, or cannot kill completely.

Soon, Guo Yang found his target.

Both Tribulus terrestris and Datura are native plants in the Americas and are very common in barren mountains and slopes.

It was easy to collect the two kinds of seeds.

Guo Yang also completed the training as soon as possible.

[Variety]: Tribulus terrestris

[Characteristic 1]: It is an annual plant that is easy to take root and difficult to remove. Even under limited water resources, it can complete its life cycle and produce a large number of seeds. The vitality of the seeds is also amazing.

[Characteristic 2]: The plant contains alkaloids, so it is a toxic plant.

【Characteristic 3】: This plant is harmful to fields.

【Characteristic 4】: Weeds that were created specifically to target glyphosate.

[Natural Energy]: 1251 (has a malicious tendency to destroy the environment).

After the cultivation was completed, Guo Yang directly scattered the seeds in the surrounding wasteland, leaving only a few scattered in the land in the surrounding towns, allowing them to take root and sprout.

Next, for corn, Guo Yang also plans to start with genetically modified corn.

Bt corn is primarily designed to combat the corn borer, also known as the corn borer.

Guo Yang originally wanted to breed resistant corn borer, but there was only one variety he could breed: super corn borer.

Natural energy is not enough.

Corn borers are indeed a bit troublesome. Even common corn borers can cause corn production to decrease by more than 90% in severe cases.

The super corn borer has the potential to cause a world-class disaster.

Even if it can be cultivated, Guo Yang would not dare to try it rashly without any countermeasures.

Had to give up.

Tribulus terrestris can also affect corn production.

But Guo Yang felt a little uncomfortable that they came here specifically to cause damage and only cultivated a harmful weed variety.

That day, Guo Yang stayed in the hotel and studied what else could be cultivated.

Do we need a strengthened version of the Asian carp? It already exists, so he can’t be blamed.

You can also plant some dodder in the alfalfa field.

Alfalfa dodder is widely distributed around the world, but the United States is one of the most successful countries in the world in controlling dodder.

We have to add more burden to it.

Guo Yang continued to screen his targets, and a species of ants suddenly appeared in his sight.

Fire ants!
In the early 20th century, they invaded the southern United States due to negligence in quarantine.

Currently, tens of millions of acres of land in 12 states in the South are occupied by invasive fire ants.

Omnivorous fire ants can wreak havoc on soil-dwelling animals, even eating up earthworms in the soil.

In addition, fire ants also eat the seeds, fruits, young shoots, tender stems and roots of crops...

If you are bitten by red fire ants, you will develop poisonous sores and pus, which may even be fatal.

This originally inconspicuous alien fire ant has caused very serious problems in agriculture and environmental sanitation as well as economic losses to the United States.

"That's you, Fire Ant."

(End of this chapter)