Satellite navigation aids harvest in Jilin

Two unmanned machines could be seen harvesting corn recently on a demonstration farm in Gongzhuling city of Changchun, Jilin province, showing the advantages of high-tech farming in the golden days of autumn.

A variety of new and advanced technologies have been put into use on the 67-hectare field, including automated tractors guided by the Beidou satellite navigation system.

"With the support of Beidou, we can set the paths of the tractors in advance," said Chen Guoshuang, an expert with the Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

According to Chen, the operation can save 50 to 60 percent on labor and shorten the harvest time from around a month to five days.

"Unmanned machines have high intelligence, simple operation and small trajectory deviation," he said. "The application of such intelligent machines can make the autumn harvest work more efficient and more convenient."

Xiao Kui contributed to this story.