Water-saving and protected agriculture in the Mediterranean area and its reference to arid and semi-arid agriculture of China

Recent years, water-saving and protected agriculture on great scale, centralized distribution and high productivity was formed in the Mediterranean area because of Mediterranean climatic condition, European market, Middle East energy, and convenient transportation, etc. In arid and semi-arid area of China, some natural conditions, such as shortage of fresh water, richness of solar radiation and energy, are similar to those of the Mediterranean area. Based on the natural, social, and economic conditions of arid and semi-arid area in China, the production techniques (i.e. control techniques of temperature, solar radiation, and gas, ferti gation techniques, plant protection techniques, etc.) from the Mediterranean area were introduced. Taking its measures as references to develop water-saving and protected cultivation will be an important way for arid and semi-arid agriculture of China.