Chapter 163 - 161: Seed Packet
"It’s not really a bumper harvest; it’s just enough to feed one person," Chen Xin merely shook his head modestly in response to Li Wensheng’s expressed envy.
The rice in the fields, though yielding well, wasn’t truly abundant. Especially since he was growing dry rice, its yield was only about 60-70% of that of wet rice.
Upon hearing Chen Xin’s explanation, Li Wensheng nodded in understanding, agreeing with Chen Xin’s perspective. However, he also proposed an idea, "Can you convert your area here into a paddy field? Wet rice might yield better than dry rice, right?"
"A paddy field? Underground?" Chen Xin furrowed his brows, finding the idea somewhat impractical.
Yet Li Wensheng explained, "It’s not possible to create traditional irrigated paddy fields underground, but what if you used hydroponics? Growing rice on hydroponic trays should be feasible."
Li Wensheng’s suggestion greatly enlightened Chen Xin, who quickly asked, "Rice is an aquatic crop, isn’t it planted directly in water? What’s this hydroponic method you mentioned?"
"Although rice is grown directly in water, it still has requirements. Too much water will cause waterlogging," Li Wensheng, who had farmed before, naturally understood this: "Also, only the roots and stalks of rice are immersed in water; if the leaves are also submerged, they’ll surely get diseased, so the water amount can’t be excessive. The hydroponic method uses a planting tray to keep the rice fixed on the water’s surface, with the roots submerged but the other parts above water."
With Li Wensheng’s explanation, Chen Xin immediately saw the light and nodded, saying, "I understand now, but this method sounds simple; in practice, it should be quite challenging, right?"
"It’s not easy. I’ve seen people try it before and it’s not easy, but that was on a lake; you have a greenhouse, so it’s different," Li Wensheng acknowledged the technical difficulties in growing rice this way, but he didn’t say it was impossible.
Chen Xin nodded in understanding and said nothing further, and sensing the moment, Li Wensheng took his leave.