Water-fertilizer integration equipment is in use in Wucheng county of Dezhou, Shandong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Dezhou, a major grain-producing city in Shandong province, has been steadily promoting integrated water and fertilizer technology since 2023 by combining it with an initiative aimed at achieving 1.5 metric tons of grain output per mu (0.067 hectares) per year and establishing yield-boosting demonstration zones.

To date, the city has applied water-fertilizer integration across more than 60,000 hectares of farmland.