Chapter 110

The main temperature will fluctuate in cycles, and it won't be cold all winter. The truly cold days may only be about ten days, which can be managed with antifreeze.

The premise is that the minimum temperature will not be too low, or the number of cold days will not be too many.

If the weather is too cold, or if the low temperatures persist for too long, antifreeze will be of little use.

Moreover, antifreeze needs to be reapplied after spraying, unlike greenhouses where you only need to cover it once, pull up the plastic film during the day, and cover it back at night, so you don't have to do a lot of work every day.

Feng Ningxiang and the others hadn't heard much about vegetable antifreeze.

Upon hearing this, Feng Ningxiang asked, "How many degrees Celsius can that antifreeze protect against?"

Qing Mengzhu: "It depends. Generally, minus five or six degrees Celsius is the limit."

Feng Ningxiang: "That won't work. It can get as cold as minus seven or eight degrees Celsius here at its coldest."

Qing Mengzhu smiled and said, "Then I'll go back and check the information to see exactly how to do it."

The chili peppers at Qing Mengzhu's house are still in their peak production period, yielding a large harvest every day and bringing them good economic benefits.

If the peppers get frostbite and stop producing fruit, the loss will be huge.

His chili peppers are still producing a large quantity of fruit, which is of great scientific value. It would be a great pity if they were damaged by frost due to improper management.

After thinking for a moment, Qing Mengzhu decided to ask Nian Xinfei about the temperature changes over the years and the local planting habits.

Nian Xinfei hadn't expected that his chili peppers were still in their peak production period. When he mentioned the issue of insulation, Nian Xinfei suggested that they simply cover the greenhouse with plastic sheeting.

Nian Xinfei: "I estimate that your chili peppers will continue to bear fruit until next spring. In that case, there should be quite a few insects on the chili pepper plant, and there might even be several generations of insects living together on one chili pepper plant?"

Qing Mengzhu admitted, "There are indeed many insects. We've been using biological pesticides all along, otherwise an infestation would break out very soon."

Most insects have relatively short lifespans, and they can reproduce rapidly when food is plentiful.

Sometimes, insects can reproduce five or six generations from a single crop, and it is not uncommon for several generations of insects to eat a single leaf at the same time.

This is why once an insect infestation breaks out, it is often very difficult to control.

There are too many insects, and they are multiplying too quickly; the rate at which they can be eradicated cannot keep up with the rate at which they replenish their population.

Nian Xinfei: "I guessed it. That's why I suggested you cover the greenhouse directly. Later, when the weather gets cold, you can take down the plastic film and fumigate with pesticides to kill the insects."

Upon hearing this, Qing Mengzhu remembered. "You could use sulfur fumigation or something, right?"

Nian Xinfei: "Yes, not just sulfur, but several pesticides can be fumigated. Fumigation is more effective than direct spraying, and it can kill insects without leaving any blind spots."

Many pesticides require the pesticide solution to be sprayed directly onto the insects to achieve their insecticidal effect; this is also known as contact pesticides.

Sometimes the insects hide on the underside of leaves or even underground, making insecticides less effective.

Qing Mengzhu and the others are managing the situation well now. Firstly, they are killing insects frequently, and secondly, the chili peppers are relatively less prone to getting infested with insects, as capsaicin itself has a certain insecticidal effect.

However, after a while, when the insects in the chili field have accumulated to a considerable number, things might get complicated.

They had previously tried to kill pests on Tan Wenlei's land because there were so many insects that they couldn't get rid of them no matter what they tried.

Qing Mengzhu readily agreed, saying, "That makes sense. I'll think about how to do it."

Nian Xinfei: "What kind of effect do you want to achieve?"

Nian Xinfei cautioned, "The chili seedlings aren't very tall. If it's just for frost protection and pest control, you can simply cut bamboo and cover them. You don't need to build such large greenhouses like they do for growing vegetables; that would be too costly."

Qing Mengzhu: "Okay, I'll look into it first before making a decision."

Nian Xinfei: "I'll send you some information later. We've also done research on greenhouse chili pepper cultivation..."

Upon hearing this, Qing Mengzhu asked, "Do you have any reliable plastic film suppliers that you regularly work with?"

Nian Xinfei laughed, "Of course! I'll send you WeChat later, or I can have a student ask for you."

Qing Mengzhu quickly replied, "I can ask myself, there's no need to trouble your student."

Students have it tough these days, Qing Mengzhu isn't really willing to take advantage of other people's students for free.

Put yourself in their shoes; nobody wants to do extra work.

Nian Xinfei: "They don't mind. I was just about to ask if you're hiring during winter break? I have some students who want to work there during the winter break."

Qing Mengzhu: "Undergraduate or graduate student? We have to go to the fields here, don't your students need to go home?"

Nian Xinfei: "Both undergraduates and graduate students are here. Some of them come from less affluent families and need to find jobs during winter break. It's all work anyway, and they can learn something from you."

Nian Xinfei joked at this point, "Besides, isn't your company always expanding its recruitment? Maybe becoming a familiar face will make it easier for you to hire me in the future?"

Qing Mengzhu was a little embarrassed by his teasing. "Why would a small company like ours need to get to know everyone?"

Nian Xinfei: "To be honest, I really think highly of your company. Several of your projects have great potential. If you're willing to recruit my students, I'll personally send them to you. My students are quite hardworking, have a solid grasp of their studies, and their personal character is impeccable."

Qing Mengzhu: "I can tell now, you're here today to help your students find jobs."

Nian Xinfei: "We need to recruit people anyway, so what's wrong with recruiting my students? If there are any problems, I, as their teacher, can directly help with after-sales service."

Qing Mengzhu smiled and said, "Then have them send over their resumes. I don't really handle hiring. If the resumes are suitable, someone will conduct an interview."

Nian Xinfei: "That's good, I'll have them send it out later."

Qing Mengzhu didn't expect that after making a consultation, she would receive a bunch of resumes.

When Qing Mengzhu heard Zhao Hexi say this, she was a little surprised. "They're really coming?"

Zhao Hexi: "Come on, we've received twenty-seven resumes so far, ranging from undergraduates to doctoral students, and there should be more in a couple of days."

Qing Mengzhu: "Wait, I don't remember Xinfei having any PhDs graduating soon."

Zhao Hexi: "They're probably students who studied there for their master's degrees and then went on to pursue doctoral degrees elsewhere. Anyway, I've received so many resumes from them, and they all seem to have studied at Teng Agricultural University."

Qing Mengzhu: "Then take a look. Keep what you can keep, and I'll politely decline what you can't. We still need to ensure quality."

Zhao Hexi: "I'm looking into it now. Old Gu said Professor Nian's students have a very solid foundation, so there shouldn't be any problems. Since you're interested in researching chili peppers, why not just recruit one of his students? They'll be experts right away."

Qing Mengzhu thought for a moment and said, "That works too. Send me your resume and I'll take a look and pick some myself."

Author's Note:

See you tomorrow!

Chapter 110

Qing Mengzhu and the others had wanted to recruit people for a long time, but they hadn't been able to find the time or the right people.

Taking advantage of the fact that Nian Xinfei, they formed an interview team, and also invited Ming Chunxi to participate as a reference. In the end, they recruited six people and established the second team of the Science and Technology Department.

Currently, Gu Benshu, as the Minister of the Science and Technology Department, also serves as the leader of the first group.

Their first group mainly focused on Insect-Killing Bacillus and other spore-forming bacteria, with a research focus on pesticides and microorganisms.

The second group, led by Qing Mengzhu, planned to have someone study the seeds. The group leader they recruited was a top 3 PhD Li Ba, whose previous research focused on plant biotechnology.

Besides Li Ba, the second group also included Jing Chi, an acquaintance of Qing Mengzhu.

Previously Qing Mengzhu contacted Nian Xinfei through Nian Xinfei's student, Jing Chi.

Jing Chi studied Seed Science and Engineering Technology, a very relevant major, and he was also familiar with chili peppers. Qing Mengzhu hired him without hesitation after seeing his resume.