Yunnan Jinping durian bears fruit, sweetness reaches 32.9%, multiple varieties are planted on a large scale

China News Service, Honghe, Yunnan, September 6 (Du Xiaoxiao, Wang Linzi) Recently, at the Jinshuihe Durian Base located in Jinping, Yunnan, durian trees have begun to bear fruit. The fruits are huge, full of pulp, and the sweetness test results reached 32.9%. This marks that durian, which once only grew in traditional tropical production areas, has officially taken root in Jinping, Yunnan.

The picture shows Jinping durian being tested for sweetness. Photo by Wang Linzi

Jinping County is located in the Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture. It has lush vegetation, a warm climate, abundant rain and heat conditions and an excellent ecological environment, providing excellent endowments for the growth of tropical crops. "Jinping's climate is very stable and the temperature is balanced all year round, which is suitable for durian growth." Geng Zhiyuan, legal representative of Yunnan Jinduling Agricultural Science and Technology Development Co., Ltd., said that climate is the key factor for successful durian planting, and 3 to 4 varieties have been planted on a large scale.

The picture shows a ripe Jinping durian. Photo by Wang Linzi

"In 2017, the first batch of durian trees were planted in Jinping County. Currently, there are 867 large trees that are 9 years old in the county. Some of the durians are full of fruit. There are more than 100 large fruits weighing more than 2 kilograms per fruit, and the maximum number of fruits per plant is 16." Jinping County Agriculture, Rural Affairs and Science and Technology Bureau Director Yang Ju said that after years of development, Jinping County has built four core durian demonstration bases and a 52-acre standardized seedling base. It has collected more than 150 durian varieties at home and abroad, screened out more than 20 excellent local varieties such as Ganyao and Maoshan King, and bred 65,000 high-quality seedlings. At present, Jinping County is actively introducing talents and technologies from enterprises and scientific research institutions to lay the foundation for local durians to be put on the market in batches.

The picture shows workers picking ripe durians. Photo by Wang Linzi

At present, the agricultural department of Jinping County has compiled and issued a three-year action plan for the development of the durian industry, clarifying the development goals of "laying the foundation in one year, expanding the scale in three years, and improving efficiency in five years", and coordinates the entire process of seedling cultivation, standardized planting, technology promotion, brand building, and marketing to build a ladder-like and sustainable development pattern.

The breakthrough in the durian industry is just a microcosm of the development of Jinping's characteristic agriculture. In recent years, Jinping County has given full play to the resource endowment of hot areas, and while strengthening the emerging industries with durian characteristics, it has also simultaneously developed diversified specialty industries such as coffee, Chinese herbal medicine, passion fruit, tamarillos, and fresh corn. The coffee industry has been steadily laid out, and a 100-acre demonstration base has been built. A variety of high-quality varieties have been selected for localized trial planting, driving farmers to plant more than 6,000 acres; the scale of the passion fruit industry continues to expand, with nearly 10,000 acres of planting area in the county, effectively driving surrounding people to work nearby to increase their income; the brand of the fresh corn industry has been highlighted, with a total of more than 18,000 acres planted, and the average net income per mu can reach 7,650 yuan. (over)