Maize Planting Handbooks and Flip Charts

Maize Planting Handbooks and Flip Charts (The Second Prize of National Science and Technology Progress in 2015) : It was created by a large team including hundreds of maize experts and led by Prof. Shaokun Li who is the chief scientist of crop cultivation and physiology innovation team in Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. More than 500 maize experts in different maize production regions participated in writing these 6 handbooks and 30 flip charts. These handbooks and flip charts were created based on the natural and ecology characteristics of different regions. The core of the work is the new idea and new technology of the modern maize production. They have four major innovations.

1）The creation concept proceeds from the readers first. Reading habits and understanding abilities of maize planting farmers and basic agriculture technicians were considered when these handbooks and flip charts were created. A lot of demand research work was done before creation.

2）The content is advanced, scientific and popular and the core includes the new ideas and new technology of modern corn production. It grasped the development direction of maize industrial and production characteristics of different regions, and ensured the accuracy of its scientific and authoritative technology.

3）Vivid and flexible formations. These handbooks and flip charts were compiled according to maize production management processes and contained a lot of photos in the process of maize production which could make them easy to understand.

4）Innovative spreading channel of agricultural science communication. Combining publishing pattern of government, enterprise and market was constructed and public welfare projects were used to expand the social influence, and agricultural enterprises were also absorbed to spread this advanced production technology.

Until the end of Dec. 2014, these handbooks had been published for 21 times and printed for 910000 copies, and the flip charts had been published 16 times and printed for 1654 000 copies. It had also been translated into Monglian, Uygur and Kazak and so on and published. 《Maize Planting Handbook in Southwest》 was also translated into English and used as agricultural exchange and training book for Southeast Asia and Africa. These handbooks and flip charts play great role in all the maize production regions.

The Principal Researcher：LI Shao-kun