"The cherry blossoms are all in full bloom with the arrival of spring and we really expect to harvest a bumper crop this year. In the village of Shanzhaolijia in Yantai, in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong, a group of cherry tree growers are at work in their greenhouses.
Wang Weizhi, owner of 12 high-end greenhouses, said that cherry cultivation has led to a significant increase in income for local farmers. They once harvested large cherries with a diameter of over 32 mm and sold them at the high price of 220 yuan ($30.58) per pound.
Asked about the secrets of success, Wang said that the farmers use advanced technology to strictly control the temperature, humidity and light in the greenhouses.
"We have provided the cherry trees with the most favourable growing environment," Wang said. "We keep the temperature difference at 13°C to make the cherries sweeter. The sugar content of our products is generally around 24-25%, with a maximum of 29%."
Wang said that all fertilisers used are organic and of high quality, so the cherries taste great and are nutritionally complete.
Greenhouses can be subdivided into 'cold greenhouses' and 'warm greenhouses' according to their different location and the natural light received. Cherries grown in 'hot greenhouses' will be available for sale in early April, while the ripening time of cherries in 'cold greenhouses' can be artificially adjusted according to actual market demand.
Wang has recently introduced a new form of cherry tree called 'one stick' in its greenhouses. Equipped with short fruiting branches, these trees can enter a highly productive period earlier than normal ones, without the quality of their fruit being affected.
Embarking on a new path of rural revitalisation, Wang Weizhi and other local fruit growers are keen to further expand the cultivation scale and improve the quality of their produce, as well as increase their brand awareness.
Source: Shangdong China Daily
Image: Growing Fruit
10 Nov 2023
Despite the good climatic conditions for the spread of Drosophila suzukii, experts point out that growers have gained more knowledge about the pest in previous years, which enables them to control it more effectively and minimise risks.
10 Oct 2024
By comparing the Chinese cherry genome with those of other Prunus species it was observed that the two species diverged around 18.34 million years ago. However, Prunus pseudocerasus has much softer fruits compared to sweet cherry.
21 Nov 2024
A Chinese study analyzed the effects of five different rootstocks on Summit sweet cherry cultivar during the fruit veraison phase with or without nitrogen-free nutrient fertilizers. The five rootstocks tested were: Mahaleb, Gisela 5, and three hybrid selections H11, H17, and H22.
21 Nov 2024
Given its direct influence on other indices such as flavor and firmness, this time we will analyze color, from the perspective of homogenization in the final product, the high percentage of light-colored fruit, and the high percentage of dark-colored fruit.
