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

In Tanzhuang village, Wang Qingliang is one of the local farmers who benefit from the technology. Wang farms more than 130 hectares of land. Over the years, he has tried many different kinds of irrigation equipment. Each had its problems: upright sprinklers could not work once the corn grew tall, while reel-type and micro-sprinkler irrigators were easily affected by wind.

During field visits, he discovered that drip irrigation integrated with water and fertilizer could directly deliver water to crop roots, and he long hoped to use it on his own land.