To gain a detailed understanding of the feasibility and practicality of our team's sports event project, on September 7, 2023, the Taojiang Research Sub-team conducted in-depth research at the grassroots level in Taojiang County, Yiyang City, Hunan Province.

On the morning of September 7th, we went to the rice experimental field in Taojiang County for on-site research. We gained a specific understanding of the local rice pest situation, such as rice blast, leaf folder, rice leafhopper, and apple snail eggs. With the guidance from the technical staff of Hunan “Daduizhang” Agricultural Company, we also learned about the current measures taken by Taojiang County to combat diseases and pests. They prioritize the use of disease-resistant and lodging-resistant rice varieties. In addition, they have introduced a modern intelligent agricultural system that can display real-time soil moisture and temperature, facilitating timely adjustments to crop conditions by farmers.

After the research in the experimental field, we visited the base of Hunan “Daduizhang” Agricultural Company for learning and observation. With the introduction from the technical staff at the base, we directly experienced the implementation of "technology-assisted agriculture policies" at the grassroots level in Hunan through the digital agricultural service platform, including shared agricultural machinery and fully automated soil testing and fertilization machines.

In the afternoon, we arrived at a strawberry picking farm in Taojiang County. Through communication with the growers, we learned that the survival rate of strawberry seedlings in this area reaches as high as 90%. This data indicates that the grassroots growers have implemented effective planting and management measures to ensure the survival and growth of strawberry seedlings. However, the strawberry farm also faces some disease challenges, including gray mold, anthracnose, and powdery mildew. These diseases may pose a threat to strawberry yield. To address these diseases, the grassroots growers primarily adopt preventive measures through early-stage spraying. Once again, we confirmed that the focus of the grassroots farmers' measures against diseases and pests is on "prevention" rather than "remediation" afterwards, which aligns with the original intention of our project.

After leaving the strawberry farm, we headed straight to the Plant Protection Station of Taojiang County Agricultural Bureau to have a detailed understanding of agricultural disease and pest data in Taojiang County and to provide a detailed introduction of our project principles, progress, and product plans to Director Ding. As a grassroots worker with long-term experience in agriculture, Director Ding expressed great interest and high expectations for our project.

Through this research, we gained a comprehensive understanding of the local agricultural situation and the current status of pest control. Additionally, we received sincere advice from experts, which we believe will contribute to effective improvement ideas for our project!

On July 16, 2023, members of the HP team conducted a research expedition to Huajian Village in Minqin County, Gansu Province. We visited Huajian Village in Minqin County, Gansu Province, and had discussions with local farmers and technology delegates to understand the local issues of drought, pests and diseases, and wheat prices.

Regarding the issue of drought, we learned that Minqin County faces serious challenges of drought and desertification due to its geographical location. To address this problem, local farmers have adopted drip irrigation technology, which converts pressurized water sources into small water droplets through a drip irrigation pipeline system. This technique enables localized water-saving irrigation to cope with drought and water shortage.

As for the aspect of pests and diseases, we found that they are also common in Minqin County. To combat these issues, farmers primarily use pesticides for prevention and control. Additionally, in recent years, the cultivation of Panax pseudoginseng has become a leading industry for farmers to increase income. However, due to seedling issues, a Panax pseudoginseng virus-free seedling center has been established in the area to provide high-quality seedlings for cultivation, effectively addressing the transmission of pathogens and pest eggs.

In terms of genetically modified (GM) technology, we found that local farmers have a relatively resistant attitude towards using genetically modified seeds. Farmers generally have a limited understanding of science and, influenced by online information, they believe that genetically modified foods are unsafe for human consumption. Consequently, they prefer using pesticides, which also leads to their lower price expectations for GM seeds.

Lastly, regarding wheat prices, we learned that the price of wheat in Minqin County is approximately 2 yuan per kilogram, with farmers purchasing around 70 kilograms per mu of land. The price of grain ranges from 1.3 to 1.5 yuan, with a gross profit of approximately 1,000 yuan.

In conclusion, Minqin County faces challenges of drought and pests and diseases. Farmers address these issues through the adoption of drip irrigation technology and pesticide control. However, the acceptance of GM technology is low among farmers, who prefer traditional methods. Wheat prices are relatively low, and there is a lower price expectation for GM seeds.

Promotion

In order to establish a long-term effective and continuous communication channel, we have opened the team's official WeChat official account. As the mainstream social media in China, WeChat has a huge user base. Relying on the platform of WeChat, WeChat official account can easily and efficiently transmit our voice to the outside world.

Our WeChat official account has launched six articles, including science popularization of synthetic biology, project introduction, team introduction, science popularization activity records, details of communication and cooperation, and what we saw and heard on the way of research. As an important part of HP's work, the official account is a good combination of HP's work, which can be recorded and presented concretely and comprehensively.

Creativity

In order to make the project's content more accessible, a little witch character was designed around the experiment's principles and objectives. This witch character has a color-changing magic ball, which corresponds to the color change in leaves in drought and pest infestation scenarios. We also produced commemorative items, such as badges and keychains, featuring the little witch character to further engage and excite our audience.

To further enhance our science communication efforts, we created a comprehensive science communication pamphlet with the same captivating theme of the little witch character. The manual provides clear explanations and visuals to help our audience understand the principles and goals of our project.

The feedback we received from students was overwhelmingly positive. They expressed that the little witch character added an element of fun to the project and made it more interesting.