It can adjust irrigation requirements for various crops and complete comprehensive analysis of weather conditions, soil dampness, evaporation and rainfall.

"If the farmer has to leave the farm on urgent work, he doesn't have misgivings on whether the plants will be tended to properly in his absence. The automatic irrigation system will aid farmers throughout our region in making decisions that enhance both on-farm efficiency and cotton production," Huang said.

According to the corps' statistics bureau, total cotton output reached 2.05 million metric tons last year, up 20.7 percent year on year, which accounted for 40 percent of the region's total yield and 33.5 percent of the national yield.