The spring sowing of China’s maize-soybean strip intercropping technology optimized for Pakistans local conditions by young Pakistani scientists got completed in Pakistan.
A group of young Pakistani agricultural scientists at Islamia University’s National Research Centre of Intercropping (NRCI) are researching strip intercropping technologies to reduce their country’s import bill of food commodities, particularly soybean, which is already a significant burden on the Pakistani economy.
It’s remarkable that the ongoing work there stemmed from their collaboration with China, but was tailored specifically for Pakistan based on the country’s realities, serving as a model of Sino-Pak cooperation in both scientific research and educational exchange.
According to the sources, Dr Muhammad Ali Raza, a post-doctoral researcher from China’s Sichuan Agricultural University (SAU), has begun to promote China’s maize-soybean strip intercropping technology in Pakistan with the support and guidance of his professor Yang Wenyu, which has received a positive response in recent years, particularly from local industrialists and progressive farmers.
He has become a fruitful agronomist and specialist in intercropping research in Pakistan after years of hard work.
The National Research Centre of Intercropping was launched on August 11, 2021, under the vision of IUB Vice Chancellor Prof. Athar Mahboob, to implement strip intercropping technologies in Pakistani agriculture to increase crop yields and soil productivity.
Dr Muhammad Ali Raza is now the centre’s director, leading the popularisation of intercropping technology in Pakistan.
To date, the centre has developed and optimised Chinese maize-soybean strip intercropping technology for local conditions, as well as conducted wheat-soybean strip intercropping trials.
Furthermore, in order to improve resource use efficiency and land productivity in Pakistan’s sugar belt, the centre is establishing sugarcane-based intercropping systems.
In the recent past, the centre conducted trials of sugarcane and wheat-based strip intercropping systems with secondary crops such as soybean, rapeseed, clover, and chickpea, with the goal of developing intercropping-specific varieties of these crops.
In addition, the centre is also conducting research on different row configurations, particularly wider strips, with the goal of encouraging the mechanisation of strip intercropping systems in Pakistan using existing farm machinery.
Following the motto ‘Think Globally, Act Locally,’ Sino-Pak cooperation is a unique feature of NRCI.
Dr Raza said, Particularly, the support of China in agricultural education and training would surely boost agricultural productivity in Pakistan, which will not only stabilise the economic condition of the country but also provide a nearby and cheaper food source to China that could reduce food security pressure on China.