Vibrant Ningxia: Technology gives wings to the "little red fruit"
"Ningxia wolfberry is valuable because of its authenticity; Zhongning wolfberry is an authentic treasure." Wolfberry is not only Ningxia's "regional symbol" and "red business card", but also a regional characteristic leading industry with competitive and brand advantages.
Wolfberries hanging on branches in a wolfberry picking garden. Photo by Zhou Hang of People's Daily Online
From the traditional way of eating wolfberries by "soaking them in a thermos cup" to the research and development and market launch of new products such as wolfberry puree and fresh-locking wolfberries, technological innovation has given Ningxia's "local specialty" wolfberry more new forms and ushered in new opportunities.
In the laboratory of the Bairuiyuan Lycium barbarum R&D Center, staff are busy extracting wolfberry red pigment and carrying out the transformation of tablet product application in the laboratory stage.
Researchers are developing wolfberry products. Photo by Xiao Congcong, People's Daily Online
"The R&D center is led by two academicians and has formed a domestic wolfberry industry technical R&D team that focuses on the cultivation of new varieties of Ningxia wolfberries, research on wolfberry processing technology, research on the material basis of wolfberry efficacy, and new product development." Hao Wanliang, deputy general manager of Bairuiyuan Wolfberry Co., Ltd., said that the company has successively innovated and launched more than 70 kinds of wolfberry deep-processing products in seven categories, including fresh-keeping wolfberries, wolfberry puree, and wolfberry health foods, which has led the wolfberry industry to get rid of the dilemma of low-quality and inefficient development, and to blaze a path of high-quality development, ushering in a booming supply and sales.
Through technological empowerment, the functional added value of a small wolfberry will have a multiplier effect, which is of great significance in promoting the transformation and upgrading of the wolfberry industry.
Demonstration garden for standardized wolfberry planting. Photo by Zhou Hang of People's Daily Online
In Zhongning County, Ningxia, an experiment on the "saline-alkali land cultivation model for wolfberries" has been going on for many years. At the Bairuiyuan planting base, in the "carbon enhancement and salt isolation" experimental field of the Lycium barbarum Science Research Institute of the Ningxia Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, the newly planted wolfberry seedlings are growing vigorously. Walking in the wolfberry field, the fiery red first batch of wolfberries are hanging on the branches, looking so beautiful.
"The soil here used to have too much salt and alkali content, so we couldn't grow wolfberry and other crops. In recent years, we have made improvements and have achieved initial results," said Hao Wanliang. First, lay 20 cm thick corn stalks at the bottom of the ditch, and then lay greenhouse film on both sides. After laying a good foundation, spread 1/3 of coarse sand, and finally add a certain proportion of cow dung to the excavated soil, mix it thoroughly, and then backfill it. This technology developed by the Ningxia Academy of Agriculture and Forestry is called "carbon enhancement and salt isolation". While reducing soil salinity, it can improve the root environment of crops and enhance soil fertility.
Liu Juan, a researcher at the Lycium barbarum Industry Development Service Center of Zhongning County, said, "Comprehensive transformation and utilization of saline-alkali land can expand the development space of our wolfberry industry. Only by continuously empowering the wolfberry industry through scientific and technological innovation can we solve the problems in the development of the wolfberry industry."
As of the end of 2023, Ningxia's wolfberry reserve area will be 325,000 mu, the fresh fruit output will be 320,000 tons, the processing conversion rate will be 35%, and the deep-processing products will cover more than 100 types in 10 categories, including functional drinks, health foods, and snacks. The comprehensive output value of the entire industry chain will reach 29 billion yuan.
The red wolfberry is not only a fruit that makes Ningxia farmers rich, but also an industry that enriches the people of Ningxia. "In the next step, we will continue to do a good job in the wolfberry industry to 'promote the primary industry, strengthen the secondary industry, and activate the tertiary industry', so that the red wolfberry will not only be popular in China, but also in the world," said Meng Yuejun, deputy head of Zhongning County.
![Vibrant Ningxia: Technology gives wings to the "little red fruit"](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/8d89328460b7e589a8f54bbdd3cd43d5.webp)
![](https://a5qu.com/s/user/default.webp)