What is the natural environment like in the production area of ??Chakou Yima?

(1) Terrain, altitude, longitude and latitude

Tianzhu County is located in central Gansu, bordering Yongdeng County to the south, Jingtai County to the east, Wuwei City and Gulang County to the north, and northwest It borders Sunan County and is adjacent to Menyuan, Huzhu and Ledu counties in Qinghai to the west. Tianzhu County is located at 102°07′～103°46′ east longitude, 46°31′～37°55′ north latitude, 142.6km wide from east to west, 158.4km long from north to south, with a total area of ??more than 7000km2. It is the natural gateway to the east of the Hexi Corridor. The altitude is 2000~4843m, with Wushaoling Ridge running from north to south, and it is an alpine, cold and humid area.

(2) Climatic conditions

This area has the characteristics of alpine and humid climate, with low temperature and large temperature difference. Some areas have a semi-arid climate, especially Songshantan. The annual average temperature is 1.2℃, the maximum temperature is 30℃, and the minimum temperature is -25~-29℃. The absolute frost-free period is about 90 days. Generally, the first frost is in mid-August and the last frost is in mid-to-late June. The average annual precipitation is 230mm, mostly concentrated in July, August and September. The average annual humidity is 57%, and the annual evaporation is 1528.1mm. Natural grassland sprouts in April and begins to turn yellow in September. The withering period lasts for more than 7 months. Cold and windy weather, drought, hail and other disastrous weather are common, which pose a great threat to agriculture and animal husbandry.

(3) Water source and soil quality

There are Datong River, Zhuanglang River, Haxi River, Xidatan River, Maozang River, Zamu River and Anyuan River in the area etc. In addition, there are many creeks and springs with abundant water and good water quality, which can be consumed by humans and animals.

The soil in this area is basically developed from loess soil. The soil is relatively complex, with soil thickness ranging from 20 to 190cm. The soil layer in the mountains is thinner and the beach land is thicker. The soil can be divided into chestnut soil, dark chestnut soil, chernozem soil, brown soil, etc., and there are also a few swamp soils.

(4) Land utilization

Tianzhu’s existing cultivated land area is 24,650hm2, distributed between 2040 and 2900m above sea level. The forest area is 184,200hm2 and the grassland area is 489,300hm2.

(5) Types and production conditions of crops and feed crops

The main crops in agricultural areas include barley, wheat, highland barley, rape, peas, corn, soybeans and potatoes. The average yield of grain crops per hectare is about 4,500kg.

Semi-agricultural and semi-pastoral areas engage in both agriculture and animal husbandry according to local conditions. Some are mainly agricultural, and some are mainly pastoral. Generally, only early-maturing crops are grown, including barley, barley, oats, peas, wheat, potatoes, rape, etc., with an average yield of about 3,000kg per hectare.

The pastoral areas are mainly distributed in Songshan Township of Tianzhu County and Yongdeng, Hedong, Berlin, Songshan, Ayangou, Tucheng, Maozang, Xidatan and other pastures, as well as Chakouyi, Dacaigou, Some villages and towns along the mountainous areas such as Wushaoling, Gucheng, and Haxi. These areas are generally not suitable for farming. Green cut oats can be grown, yielding about 6,000kg of green hay per hectare.

The forest area is mainly composed of natural forests, including pine and cypress, fir, birch, poplar, etc.

There are 12 larger grasslands in Tianzhu County, including Songshan Beach, Yongfeng Beach, Shimengou and Maomaoshan. The grasslands are divided into three types: alpine meadow grassland, arid grassland and forest shrub grassland. Alpine meadow pastures are dominated by Gramineae and Cyperaceae. The main pasture grasses include Elymus, bluegrass, Carex, Artemisia and sedge. The grasses in dry pastures are mainly composed of Gramineae and Asteraceae. The main grasses include Stipa, Agropyron, Achnatherum splendens, Artemisia coldland and Artemisia donkey. The grasses in forest, shrub, meadow and pasture are dominated by grasses, carex, and weeds, and there are many types.

(6) Changes in the ecological environment and forest and grassland in the past 10 years

In recent years, with the active advancement of the development of the western region, the ecological environment in some areas has been improved to a certain extent. In particular, great achievements have been made in preventing and controlling desertification, afforestation, and vegetation protection, but the situation is still grim and not optimistic.