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"At that time, I thought, Japan is an industrialized country. They attach so much importance to agricultural technology and the improvement of rice seeds. Why? It should be to let agriculture support the development of industry, with a relatively small population and relatively small land , can support a large number of workers, so that the country's industrialization level can be improved."
"Hybrid rice is a very promising way to increase agricultural production. Minister Deng of the Rural Work Department is particularly concerned about this matter. Director Tang, you also intuitively feel that this way can be taken, so we will go all out to go on it. "
Tang Hua: "Mr. Ding, research on hybrid rice is a long-term process. This is an objective law. Neither Minister Deng nor I have urged you."
"But after all, five years have passed," Ding Ying said, "Five years, it's time to produce results."
Tang Hua: "Have you made a breakthrough in your research?"
Ding Ying smiled and said: "It's not my research, it's my apprentice's research. I have two apprentices now, and any of them is better than me and the old men from the Department of Agriculture combined. My job is actually to give students help me with my research.”
Tang Hua: ...
"In June and July this year, the early rice harvest at the experimental base will be successful, and we will get a definite answer."
……
Nanhong Farm, Hainan Island, the First Experimental Base of Rice (Hainan Base), Chinese Academy of Engineering, Department of Agronomy.
Zhang Xiancheng carried a shovel and walked from the dormitory to the experimental field.
Hainan is scorching hot in May. Although it is still [-]:[-] in the morning, the breeze in the field can already make people sweat.
"Researcher Zhang, I have let go of the water in the test field."
"Really? Well, let's cut the weeds by the way." Zhang Xiancheng said.
"It was removed the day before yesterday."
"It's been two days, and the weeds will sprout some buds."
The rice ears in the paddy field can already be seen, one by one, pointing up to the sky - this means that the rice has not been filled, and if the rice ears are full of rice grains, it will droop.
While looking for and pulling weeds with his eyes wide open in the field, Zhang Xiancheng also visually estimated the growth and harvest of the rice.
"Obviously, the increase in rice production this season is obvious," Zhang Xiancheng said. "By June, we will be able to report success."
"Old man Ding has a vicious vision. He has long seen that the male sterile line is the key to hybrid rice."
Zhang Xiancheng: "Yes, and then we searched for wild rice for three years, but luck was really good. With the support of Mr. Ding, our entire research institute, no, the entire rice hybridization cooperation group, was able to achieve what it is today. fruit."
"The natural male sterile line is only the first step, and the strong restorer line of the sterile line is bred by you."
"It all happened in 1957, and it's not like we didn't do anything else in the past two years. From strengthening the restoration line to increasing production by three-line hybridization, there are still hundreds of miles of land in between."
……
The experimental field of Anjiang Agricultural School in Hunan Province, the second rice experimental base of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (Hunan Base).
Several staff members of the agricultural school are busy in the field. This area of several tens of acres of thriving rice is the hope of the whole village, no, it is the hope of the entire Anjiang Agricultural School.
After completing a "care" for the rice, the workers washed their feet and went ashore.A 30-year-old black and thin researcher stood on the ground, looking at the large green rice fields with his hips on his hips. The wind blowing through the mountains could faintly see rice waves in the rice fields.Walking in the field, you can see the world of rice wherever you look, and smell the green smell of rice.
"Brush—" Researcher Yuan Longping took out a cigarette case from his shirt pocket, took out a low-quality cigarette, struck a match, lit it, took a big puff, and looked at his masterpiece in front of him comfortably.
"Brother Yuan, there seems to be some hope for this batch of rice." The assistant said.
"You just found out. I can tell when the tillers are tillering," Yuan Longping said. "The tassels are about to grow now. After two weeks, you will be able to see them more clearly. When the harvest is in July, it will be a certainty." "
In February 1957, Ding Ying found the first wild "natural male sterile plant", which is the basis of the hybrid rice experiment in the two bases.
But from natural male sterile plants to high-yielding hybrid rice, there are still many hurdles to pass.Yuan Longping bred the maintainer line of male sterile wild rice. Because the line was determined in December 1957, three days after China launched the artificial satellite, it was named "Jianjin No. 12 Rice" by Yuan Longping.
And Zhang Xiancheng thought of breeding the restorer line of wild rice itself. Under his experiment, he obtained a strong restorer sterile line of rice in May 1958. The name Zhang Xiancheng gave to this line of rice is... …"Tianhe No. 5 Rice".
Then there is how to hybridize strong restorative sterile line rice seeds. The Ministry of Agriculture has divided two routes: three-line hybridization and two-line hybridization.Both Zhang Xiancheng and Yuan Longping chose three-line hybridization as a breakthrough.
Assistant: "They have three rice crops in the Hainan base, and they can try three times a year. We can only produce double crop rice in Hunan, and we can try twice a year. I think we are a beat slower than the Hainan base, which is too disadvantageous. After so many years, We're all a round behind them."
Yuan Longping laughed and said, "It's not that the more times you try, the higher the success rate will be."
Chapter No.16, The Climber
"Tell me, what does China want to buy from the United States?"
Washington, home of Speaker of the House Samuel Rayburn.
Thomas Haster, Jr., vice president of the United States Chemical Industry Council, and officials from the Ministry of Commerce visited Rayburn. This can be regarded as a lobbying group with American characteristics.
Of course, Haster came to the door to seek the support of the speaker, so that Congress can introduce a special case for the Export Administration Act, so that these business owners in the United States can do business with China.
The special case is just a special case, which means "in view of the current situation, a certain transaction is allowed once". For example, this time, it can be called "Separate Approval Act for the Import and Export of Agricultural Fertilizer Equipment between China and the United States".
After listening to the opening of the lobby group, Rayburn asked Haster directly what exactly China wanted to buy.
Haster: "Well... Let me first talk about the reciprocal trade agreement proposed by China. It will take at least one to two years for the United States to successfully develop a high-end computer."
"Of course China has put forward a shopping list. The first is grain, intending to buy 1200 million bushels of wheat and 1000 million bushels of corn..."
The total price of these wheat and corn is added up, probably half a transistor is overcalculated...
Rayburn: "That's all? It's like saving our ranchers."
Haster: "That's right. Grain is not within the limits of the Export Administration Act, nor is it within the limits of Batumi. In China's shopping list, the item suspected of sensitive equipment is synthetic ammonia equipment. They want to buy three sets of 3 yuan. tons of ammonia synthesis equipment, and proposed to purchase patent authorization and a complete set of technologies.”
"Synthetic ammonia equipment is on the embargo list. Because ammonia is an essential raw material for the production of explosives." It was Rayburn's secretary who spoke.
Haster: "Let me first explain that although the ammonia synthesis equipment is on the embargo list, China has a completely reasonable explanation this time. They purchased the super-large synthesis ammonia equipment for the production of fertilizers, and only for the production of fertilizers."
"In addition, in exchange, the United Chemical Industry can also obtain the patent authorization for the production of full-cycle steam stripping urea from China on an equal basis."
"Then, ammonia synthesis equipment is indeed an essential raw material for the production of explosives, but China has long had ammonia synthesis plants. The ammonia synthesis equipment currently in use in China includes 5 tons of synthetic ammonia equipment imported from the Soviet Union, 5 tons of synthetic ammonia equipment imitating the Soviet Union, and its own 1 tons of small-scale synthetic ammonia equipment."
"With so many small and medium-sized synthetic ammonia factories, China certainly has no shortage of ammonia for making explosives. They have imported 40 tons of synthetic ammonia equipment, which is dedicated to mass production of nitrogen fertilizer at low cost."
"The Federation of Chemical Industry also urgently needs to obtain the patent authorization of the full cycle steam stripping urea. Since 1955, China has successively sold this patent authorization to three or four Western European countries. Germany suppressed very badly..."
Speaker Raeburn listened to Haster's long explanation and thought for a while: "These you said are materials for me to persuade opponents in the House of Representatives."
"Yes."
Secretary: "Mr. Speaker, it can be done in theory if only the export is approved separately. However, the export of this equipment is only beneficial to the chemical industry, and the spokespersons of other industries may criticize it. This is what may be encountered in Congress. Major trouble."
Rayburn pointed to the secretary: "The trouble he said does exist, and you should also consider it. But I think this should pass. I thought the Chinese would buy a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier with dollars."
The USS Enterprise nuclear-powered aircraft carrier will be launched in the second half of this year at a cost of US$4.5 million.
The United States estimates that China holds at least US$5 million in foreign exchange, which is a trade surplus that has been suppressed with nowhere to spend money in the past few years.
……