Apocalyptic Reincarnation: Start with a 30-million Bonus-Chapter 236 - 228: Planting

"Mr. Wang, should we go check out Jiefang City to see if there's still anything we can scavenge?" Brother Zhong came to ask Mr. Wang early in the morning.

He had already discussed this matter with Mr. Wang before.

Mr. Wang poured a cup of water and slowly drank it down.

After some thought, he said, "Jiefang City collapsed for three reasons: the most fundamental one is the lack of food and the overpopulation, it was impossible to sustain so many people.

The second reason is due to management issues. Indeed, scavenging for supplies and providing dividends is good, as it gives everyone greater motivation, but at the same time, it inevitably leads to corruption, which they did not take seriously enough in the early stages, until it finally erupted.

The third reason is the complex makeup of the people. With such a large number of people not united, it was bound to cause significant problems."

Brother Zhong nodded in agreement. He had this feeling too. At first, he thought that the more people they had in their team, the better, because the more people meant stronger strength.

This realization became particularly clear when facing the Zombie Tide.

However, when faced with the current drought crisis, especially with the food issue, he suddenly realized that having more people isn't necessarily a good thing.

In such a chaotic environment with unpredictable weather, having too many people to feed is indeed a difficult task.

Moreover, in this apocalyptic world, it's very difficult to control people's hearts.

Once there are too many people, if there is no absolute power to keep them in check, people can easily become fickle.

After all, without legal and moral constraints, actions aren't subjected to legal punishment, making the cost of crime extremely low.

Managing a large number of people is a big problem.

"How about this, you guys go and take a look first. Take seven or eight people to scout it out. The incidents in Jiefang City happened so long ago, I guess there's probably nothing left there. But still, you can take a look. Be careful in everything," Mr. Wang instructed briefly.

Brother Zhong asked, "So, our main purpose this time is to recon the situation over there? Is there any other objective?"

Mr. Wang responded dismissively, "What do we lack the most right now?"

"Supplies? Food," Brother Zhong answered.

Mr. Wang said, "Right, your main goal is to see if there are any supplies you can bring back. However, I don't have high hopes. Sigh, anyway, you guys still go and see what the situation is."

"Safety first," Mr. Wang added in the end.

Brother Zhong nodded, called a few people, and they set off in two trucks.

They filled up with gas and headed in the direction of Jiefang City.

What they didn't know was that Jiefang City had already become ruins, and all its inhabitants had left.

.....

....

Putting aside the situation in Jiefang City and at Harmony Garden,

It is now mid-August.

Xin City is bustling with a series of tasks around the rice fields.

One of the especially important things to pay attention to in mid-August is the prevention of pest infestations.

In the high temperature and humidity environment of August, it's easy for diseases and pests to propagate, so it's necessary to do preventative work in advance to avoid the outbreak of pests affecting the rice yield.

In addition, it's essential to clear out weeds early on, and for the remaining weeds within the fields, manual weeding should be done once or twice after the rice has headed, which is beneficial for field ventilation and light transmission, as well as for the growth of rice.

Therefore, during this time, Grandpa is leading some people from the base to weed the rice fields to prevent weed infestation. They are also meticulously removing any pest eggs found among the rice.

Although they still have some pesticides, they know that the supply will eventually run out.

Currently, they have enough manpower, and there isn't anything else particularly urgent to attend to, so they are willing to expend human labor on this task.

They have already sprayed pesticides once at the beginning of August, so there are fewer insects now.

And most of these affairs are typically handled by the adults in the base, but the minors start learning about planting techniques at an early age.

In their classes, there is often an emphasis on learning and combining that with practical application. Their teacher for this session is Grandpa, who has planted crops for decades, and Lai Xiyue, who summarizes and then shares the insights with the children.

Grandpa rolls up his trouser legs in the rice field, pointing at the plants and saying, "Look, now is the time to weed. Pull out these barnyard grasses, these are the rice plants. Don't get them mixed up. Pay attention to this area..."

Grandpa points out various detailed things for the children to see.

Back in the classroom, Lai Xiyue also integrates the knowledge shared by Grandpa and summarizes it for the children:

"The steps of rice cultivation actually divide into the following:

1. Plowing

Before planting rice, plowing is an essential step. Previously, animal power and plows, mainly water buffaloes, were used to plow the fields, but now machinery is more commonly used for soil preparation.

2. Seedling Cultivation

Seedling cultivation is critical in the early stages of rice growth. Nowadays, specialized seedling centers use seedling trays to grow the seedlings, and good seedlings are key to successful rice farming.

When the seedlings are about eight centimeters tall, it's time to transplant them. Transplanting can be either mechanized or manual, chosen based on the scale and the shape of the land.

3. Weed and Pest Control

During the growth of the seedlings, weeding and pest control are essential.

When weeds start poking through the field, they must be cleared promptly.

4. Fertilizing

When the seedlings start to elongate and produce the first stalk joint, this period is called tillering, and fertilization is often needed during this time to encourage robust growth and later contribute to the fullness and quantity of the rice grains.

5. Irrigation and Drainage

Irrigation and drainage are critical aspects for rice, and for upland rice, the process is different since it's grown in dry fields. However, typically, irrigation is needed after transplanting, during the formation of the young panicles, and especially during the earing and flowering stages.

6. Drying and Sorting

The harvested rice grains need to be dried, which in the past was often done in the front courtyard of a compound, needing to be turned frequently for even drying.

The sorting process involves removing shriveled grains and other impurities, using an electric grain separator, windmills, or manually shaking the grains and using the wind to automatically separate the full, heavier grains."

After explaining these, Lai Xiyue continues, "What conditions are needed for planting rice?

1. Rice grows best in warmer climates; the higher the temperature, the faster it grows, and the higher the yield.

The environmental temperature for rice growth must be above 13°C. Below this temperature, rice will stop growing. All green plants grow and undergo photosynthesis in light, and rice is no exception.

Rice grows normally with adequate light, slows down when natural light is at 50%, and will cease growing or even die when light intensity drops to 5% of natural light levels.

2. Rice growth needs sufficient water. When there is not enough water supply, the plant's physiological functions decrease.

The tillering stage of rice is when the demand for water peaks, and a lack of water is absolutely not permissible.

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

During its growth, rice also requires ample nutrients. Under the premise of routine root-zone fertilizing, applying urea, ammonium sulfate, or green manure, and foliar feeding helps rice growth and can buffer against adverse environmental influences.

Of course, in the absence of these chemical fertilizers, we can actually use other types of fertilizers like cow and sheep dung, which can also play a certain role in fertilization."

...

...

Lai Xiyue in the classroom, sharing knowledge about rice planting with everyone.

In this country, agriculture is the foundation of everything.

In this post-apocalyptic world, food is the ultimate support for survival.

Therefore, knowing how to farm and being able to farm are the most practical skills in the post-apocalyptic world.