news

한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina

Are they soft peaches with thin skin and juicy texture, or crisp peaches that are crunchy when you bite them? Now is the time to eat peaches. Faced with different varieties of peaches in fruit stores, it is really difficult to choose which one to put in your shopping bag. As one of the provinces with the largest cultivated areas in the country, Jiangsu has 720,000 mu of peach orchards, with an annual output of 680,000 tons and an output value of about 10 billion yuan. Behind this sweetness, a group of scientific researchers are sweating over the research of new varieties of peaches.

At 8 a.m., when the Modern Express reporter arrived at the National Peach Germplasm Resource Garden (Nanjing), Cai Zhixiang, an associate researcher of the Peach Innovation Team of the Fruit Research Institute of the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, was soaked with sweat. "To avoid the high temperature, we get up at five or six in the morning and start picking peaches in the fields at around 6:30 or 7 a.m."

Summer peaches ripen

It is the only time to identify the quality

"Peaches are seasonal fruits in summer, and they mature from June to August." Cai Zhixiang told reporters that this is the best time for peach researchers to identify the fruit traits of peach germplasm resources. "Germplasm resources are the basis of breeding. Without germplasm resources, breeding will have no parents, fruit farmers will not be able to cultivate new varieties, and consumers will not have better peaches to eat. This is the significance of the existence of germplasm resources and the significance of various identifications and data collected by germplasm resource researchers. The ultimate goal is to serve consumers and fruit farmers."

The National Peach Germplasm Resource Garden of the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences covers an area of ​​about 100 mu and preserves more than 1,600 peach germplasm resources, of which 774 are on the national seed conservation list. From mid-to-late May, the peaches in the resource garden have gradually matured. Members of the peach innovation team of the Fruit Tree Research Institute walk around the resource garden almost every day, "checking the whole garden to see if there are any ripe varieties. If they are ripe, they will be picked for identification."

"We take out the seeds from the hybrid peach trees, process the seeds and put them in low-temperature cold storage. After the seeds germinate, they are sown in nutrient pots and then transplanted into the field. For example, there are more than 100 offspring in the hybrid combination of two different varieties of peach trees. One offspring has one seed, so we have to plant more than 100 peach seedlings. After two or three years, the peach seedlings grow into peach trees and bear fruit. We have to identify one by one among these hybrid offspring which are sweet, which are sour, what characteristics they have, which fruits have harder flesh, and which fruits have softer flesh." Cai Zhixiang told reporters that because the maturity period of the hybrid offspring is distributed, they have to come and check every one or two days to see which varieties are ripe.

"Because the hybrid offspring are planted very densely, there are still differences in the management of light, water, fertilizer, etc. from normally planted trees, so its traits cannot be fully reflected." The potential stocks selected - the superior individual plants, have to be re-grafted and managed according to normal cultivation methods. They also have to wait until the peaches are ripe before they can be identified to determine whether the fruit is big enough, whether the color of the fruit is good-looking, whether the flavor is delicious, and whether there is market application value.

New varieties bred

It will take at least ten years

How to judge whether the peaches hanging on the tree are ripe? First observe whether the base color has changed, which is mainly judged by experience, and then taste the taste. Cai Zhixiang looked up at the peaches on the tree, selected one, and put it directly into his mouth and took a bite. This is simply unimaginable for those who are sensitive to peach hair. Cai Zhixiang said that it is actually okay to get peach hair on the mouth, and it is okay to rinse it with water if it gets on the face. As long as it does not get on the neck or arms, it will not feel itchy.

Picking peaches and eating them right after they are harvested may sound like a good job, but it is not always the case. "You have to eat as many peaches as you pick. For example, if you pick 30 peach germplasm resources today, you have to eat at least 30 to 60 peaches. Not all peach varieties are delicious. Some are very sour, some are very astringent, and some even have no normal peach fragrance but a faint body odor."

"In the afternoon, we began to identify the peaches we picked in the morning, including basic trait identification and special identification for completing some project tasks." Cai Zhixiang introduced that basic identification includes fruit shape, skin color, and flesh color, texture, flavor and aroma. "We also need to measure the soluble solids content of peaches."

These are the most basic prerequisites for identifying the quality of a peach variety. A more advanced identification can only be done after the peach picking season ends in autumn, when there is time. "Take out the pulp sample that has been frozen with liquid nitrogen and stored in a refrigerator at -70°C, and use a liquid chromatograph to measure the content of several major sugars and acids, as well as some major phenolic substances."

Therefore, breeding work is not only done in summer, but all year round.

In spring, researchers will investigate the flowering period and leaf bud germination period of peach germplasm resources, and also make some germplasm innovations. "We selected some distinctive germplasm resources for hybridization in order to obtain better specific germplasm. After the peach picking period from mid-to-late May to mid-to-late August, we will start the laboratory measurement work in autumn and winter, and summarize the data measured in the past year before the New Year." Cai Zhixiang said.

This work is repeated year after year. It takes at least ten years to cultivate and create a new peach variety.

Predict the market in advance

Let consumers eat good peaches and fruit farmers make more money

"Breeding varieties that are more acceptable to the market will allow consumers to sit in air-conditioned rooms and eat peaches in the hot summer, and fruit farmers can earn more money with less cost."

The breeding work of the peach innovation team where Cai Zhixiang works is directly related to the preferences of consumers and the feedback of fruit farmers. "We should not only respond in time, but also in advance. We should make comprehensive considerations based on the current situation, predict market demand, and make breeding plans in advance. If we wait until the market makes demands before we start breeding new varieties, it will be too late."

"The Yuhua series and Zaohualu series we first cultivated are traditional nectarines. At that time, because transportation was not well developed, these peaches were enough. However, as the industry developed, the problem of peach transportation and storage became prominent. Peaches like these that could not be transported out could only be limited to local consumption or small markets in the surrounding areas. Through the joint efforts of team members, we have cultivated hard peaches that are resistant to storage and transportation, such as 'Xia Cui' and 'Zi Jin Yu Cui', as well as the slow-softening 'Xia Hui No. 10'. This is another progress."

Later, the first generation of oil peach variety "Jinxia Youpan" was born, which is easy to transport and has better flavor. It is the one with the strongest aroma among the varieties currently bred by the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences. It is also very sweet, with a sugar content of about 15% and a maximum of more than 20%. This variety matures around July 15 to 25. It has no peach fuzz, which is good news for people who are allergic to or don't like peach fuzz. It also has a beautiful shape and you don't need to open your mouth wide to eat it, which makes it more elegant.

"But it also has disadvantages. It is easy to crack the fruit and needs to be cultivated in rain shelter. However, its maturity period is mid-late, which puts forward requirements for breeding. Therefore, we launched the two varieties of 'Jinxia Zaoyoupan' and 'Zijin Zaoyoupan', which mature around June 20. That is, before the plum rain season comes, or when it is about to come, it matures and can avoid the plum rain."

Cai Zhixiang introduced that "Xiahui No. 10" is their latest variety and is very popular. "It is not easy to crack and is less affected by rain. After the rain, the taste of other peaches becomes lighter and the soluble solid content drops rapidly. The soluble solid content of "Xiahui No. 10" drops only slightly, so the taste is still very sweet." In addition, in response to the problem of low cold demand in the south, they also launched the "Zaoxing" series of varieties with particularly low cold demand. "It is not only suitable for greenhouse cultivation, but also for planting in the south. It has been promoted and applied in Guangxi, Yunnan and other places."

Modern Express/Modern+ reporter Li Ming and Hu Yumei/text and Gu Wen/photo