Behind his back, there are fresh domestic citrus fruits all year round | China | Domestic

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In the past, China's citrus production was small and there were few varieties

Now, every three citrus fruits in the world

One of them is made in China

The Central Radio and Television Station that aired last night

In the 2023 Dragon Boat Festival special program "Long Song of the Dragon Boat Festival by Clear Water"

Known as the "Citrus Academician"

Deng Xiuxin, Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Engineering

This introduces the good development trend of citrus in China

He promotes cultivation techniques and opens up a new path for seedless citrus cultivation

We also cultivate new late maturing varieties, allowing everyone to grow throughout the year

You can all eat fresh domestic citrus fruits

With his assistance

Qu Yuan's Hometown, Zigui, Yichang, Hubei

Becoming the production area with the longest supply period of fresh citrus fruits in the country

Emerging 1.2 billion yuan villages, driving stable income growth for 260000 people

What exactly is this "citrus academician"

How to inject magic into citrus fruits? ↓

Research direction: Citrus

He wants our country to have fresh citrus fruits all year round

In 1961, Deng Xiuxin was born in a remote small mountain village in Yizhang, Hunan. At the age of 4, his father passed away and the family lost their support, making life even more difficult. His older brothers and sisters took the initiative to give him the opportunity to study.

Fortunately, Deng Xiuxin was talented, hardworking, and had to walk 7 miles from home to school, but he couldn't resist his thirst for knowledge.

In 1977, Deng Xiuxin took the college entrance examination. His childhood experience of starving and the country's emphasis on agricultural development at that time made him firmly choose a major related to agriculture, and he went further and further on this path: after the college entrance examination, he entered Hunan Agricultural College, and a few years later, he was admitted to Huazhong Agricultural College, where he studied under one of the founders of citrus discipline in China, Zhang Wencai.

Deng Xiuxin and his mentor Zhang Wencai

In Deng Xiuxin's view, choosing citrus as the research direction is largely based on intuitive understanding. "When I was a child chopping firewood, I often saw wild oranges.". But as his research deepened, he realized that this industry could help farmers become rich, so he devoted himself to this discipline.

Afterwards, he became the first PhD in fruit tree science in China and also went to the United States as a visiting scholar to conduct research. There, the conditions of the laboratory and the development of the citrus industry made Deng Xiuxin envious: the laboratory needed reagents that could be delivered by phone, and citrus forest fertilizer and water management, fruit grading, packaging, and other processes were all automated.

The job opportunities in the United States also have considerable appeal, but Deng Xiuxin believes that the cost of studying abroad is provided by the country and cannot be held back or owed to the country. In this way, he returned to his home country on schedule and also made up his mind to ensure that our country, like the United States, has fresh citrus fruits all year round.

Research objective: "Long standby" citrus

Never be defeated by foreign "strong enemies" at any time

Citrus is a large family, with pomelo, orange, citrus, orange, golden orange, lemon, and others being members of this family. For a long time, China's citrus production was low and there were few varieties, with the market time concentrated between September and December. It is likely to be defeated by the influx of foreign "strong enemies". For this, he put a lot of effort into the word "late".

In Zigui, which is rich in citrus, he led his team to take advantage of the special climate advantage of the "Hubei Winter Warmth Center" in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area to breed late maturing varieties such as Lunwan. He also demonstrated and promoted the cultivation technology of "keeping trees fresh", effectively extending the harvest period of fresh fruits. This alone increased the income of citrus farmers by more than 30%.

In addition, under his suggestion, different varieties were planted at different altitudes in the local area to widen the time gap between their markets: Lunwan and red meat in spring, orange in summer, red in September in autumn, and Newhall in winter. Nowadays, Zigui has fresh oranges throughout the year.

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Deng Xiuxin's team also cracked the genetic code of sweet oranges, allowing researchers to identify the ripening period, color, sugar content, and disease resistance of sweet oranges, and cultivate better and healthier varieties.

Among them, he developed a late maturing new variety, which is a brown orange named "Zongcheng". Due to its delicate taste and high sweetness, it quickly became a star product.

With the efforts of Deng Xiuxin's team, China has planned three citrus belts and laid out late maturing varieties from climate, variety, and other aspects. The citrus ripening period has been extended from more than 4 months to 11 months, and citrus fruits are available for sale throughout the year. "Our navel oranges are better than those in the United States, they can't sell well. Nowadays, the Southeast Asian market is basically also dominated by Chinese oranges."

Research findings: The seeds of citrus have

Firmly in our own hands

In the 1980s, with the improvement of living standards, people raised new demands for citrus. "Eating one bite and spitting out a lot of seeds can affect the taste and make it look unsightly. Can citrus seeds be removed through cell engineering?"? This has become his key topic.

After continuous attempts, Deng Xiuxin's team utilized cell fusion technology to establish a new technological approach for cultivating seedless citrus varieties, cultivating a commercial seedless variety "Huayou No.2" and gradually transforming many citrus varieties into seedless varieties. On the market, seedless citrus varieties now account for the vast majority.

"China Orange" is popular in both domestic and international markets due to its advantages such as fine flesh, sweet and fragrant taste, few fruit pits, and good appearance. Deng Xiuxin once proudly said, "The seeds of citrus have been firmly held in our own hands."

Research experience: To be on the land of our motherland

Prosperity produces quantity, adversity produces quality

Apart from the laboratory, he spends at least two months a year in orchards, leaving his footprints in the vast majority of citrus growing areas in China. "Not only should you write about your achievements on the land of your motherland, but in fact, you must be on the land."

Seeing fruit farmers carrying dozens of pounds of fruit down the mountain, Deng Xiuxin personally experienced it and felt that it was both difficult and dangerous. Therefore, he led the team to develop a rail transportation system, which not only ensured the safety of fruit farmers but also solved the problem of insufficient labor during the centralized harvesting period.

Seeing a fruit farmer worried about sales, he became a "sales anchor" again, and a live broadcast helped sell tens of thousands of kilograms of navel oranges.

In order to help everyone choose delicious citrus fruits, Deng Xiuxin also provided many "secrets": "Generally, oranges are sweeter when flattened, while oranges should choose those with longer fruit types. Citrus of the same variety with darker colors will have a better taste."

In decades of research on citrus, Deng Xiuxin discovered that yield in good times leads to quality in adversity. Good quality varieties often go through certain harsh environments. "Fruits are like this, is it true that our lives are like this? When faced with difficulties, persist and continue to strive, and perhaps we will shine tomorrow."

The orange wind breaks through the waves

With decades of persistence and dedication

Sending a plate full of fruit fragrance to the people of our motherland

Salute to Academician Citrus

More news in this article

Producer/Wang Xingdong Editor-in-Chief/Du Xianhan

Editor/Li Juan proofreading/Gao Shaozhuo

Part of the materials are sourced from Farmers Daily, China Science Daily, Zigui Publishing, and Huazhong Agricultural University

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