Biotechnology helps Jinqiu sugar orange growers turn losses into profits

  introduction: of an orchard Hope and Dilemma

Jinqiu Sugar Tangerine is an excellent single plant obtained by crossing "Ehime No. 30" as the female parent and Sugar Tangerine as the male parent. It is an emerging variety with relatively stable economic benefits in the citrus industry.

There are approximately 30,000 acres of golden autumn sugar oranges in Hezhou and Wuzhou, Guangxi. They have fallen into a development bottleneck due to lagging management, soil degradation and nutritional imbalance. Many orchards follow the traditional sugar orange management model and are unable to take advantage of the characteristics of early-maturing varieties. ； The high-yielding characteristics of new varieties can easily lead to severe overgrowth. In addition, high-inoculation and replacement can lead to nutritional deficiencies in the tree body. Growers’ continuous application of compound fertilizers accelerates soil deterioration, resulting in weakened tree vigor, high fruit cracking rates, and unstable quality. The sales price is seriously affected, and it is difficult to achieve breakthroughs in yield per mu.

industry Pain Point - Systemic Problems from Soil to Fruit

After field sampling and scientific testing, it was found that the following problems are common in Hezhou Jinqiu Sugar Orange Orchards:

u The soil organic matter content is extremely low (only 11.56g/kg), and there is a serious lack of medium and trace elements. ；

u Root-knot nematodes are highly prevalent, parts of the root system are rotting, and the tree's nutrient transport is blocked. ；

u The fruit cracking rate is high, the commercial properties of the fruit are poor, and the purchase price continues to be low. ；

u The phenomenon of big and small years is obvious and the output is extremely unstable.

These pain points not only limit farmers’ income, but also hinder the full play to the advantages of Jinqiu Sugar Orange variety.

Technology Breakthrough—— five System empowerment of major key initiatives

Mr. Huang’s base is a microcosm. The base was just grafted in 2021 and did not generate any profit. Costs were invested in variety improvement. In 2022, the overall tree growth was average. Due to soil problems and basic management problems, 30% of the old trees were unable to produce yields, resulting in an average plant yield of about 10 kilograms. Compared with other high-grafting transplants, the average fruit bearing level in the second year was 25 kilograms. The cumulative investment reached 2.8 million, making it impossible to achieve profitability.

In order to cope with the above challenges, our company integrates biotechnology and digital agriculture methods and proposes the following key technology systems:

1. Adjust acidity and supplement calcium to rebuild a healthy soil foundation

By applying salt-absorbing powder and biological calcium, the soil pH value is gradually increased from 4.3 to 5.2, alleviating acidification stress and enhancing nutrient availability.

2. Biological activation improves soil fertility and fertilizer efficiency

Using combination programs such as "Wujin Green+" and "Tubeikang+", while reducing the input of a large number of elements, significantly increasing the number of beneficial soil microorganisms, improving the aggregate structure, promoting root development, greatly improving fertilizer utilization, restoring the nutrient supply of the tree, improving tree vitality, and maintaining a stable yield basis.

3. Resist stress and increase weight, comprehensively guarantee fruit development

Foliage spraying of products such as Megafu and Micro Calcium Magnesium Boron can enhance the ability of fruit trees to withstand high and low temperatures, reduce fruit cracking and sunburn, and improve the weight and uniformity of single fruits.

4. Promote early quality improvement and promote the natural accumulation of sugar

By applying a small amount of Aiwangshi and spraying products such as Four Seasons Point Qiuxiang and Megafu on the leaves, the coloring can be accelerated, the skin gloss and sugar content can be increased, and the goal of early morning color and early market can be achieved.

5. Intelligent management to achieve precise control of water and fertilizer

With the help of digital sensors, soil EC values ​​and moisture status are monitored in real time to achieve precise irrigation and fertilization. The annual application amount of compound fertilizer is controlled within 400 grams per plant, which is far lower than the conventional level of over 1000g.

Achievements Demonstrated - Data Witnesses Real Changes

 

In 2023, Kieshi technical service providers began to intervene and implement the entire technical solution. The biological vitality cultivation technology solution accounted for 50% of the overall investment. The cost of the chemical fertilizer segment that was gradually replaced was transformed into a soil improvement solution with "Tubeikang+" as the core, achieving 100% restoration of healthy growth of old and small trees.

Through three years of technical practice, the economic benefits and fruit quality of the base have been significantly improved.:

 

Economic benefit comparison table

index year	Total output (10,000 kilograms)	Yield per plant (jin)	Output value (10,000 yuan)	Investment (10,000 yuan)	input-output ratio	The input-output ratio is higher than that of peers
2022 Year (10,000 plants)	10	10	40	50	1:0.8	/
2023 Year (10,000 plants)	38	38	108	60	1:1.8	+30%
2024 Year (10,000 plants)	15	15	63	20	1:3.15	+15%
2024 (5,000 new plants)	20	40	86	30	1:2.87	+50%

 

In 2024, due to the fruit pruning method and pruning problems in 2023, there was a lack of fruit-bearing mother branches. Coupled with the influence of the weather, the number of flowers was very small. However, it was estimated that the yield of some fruit-bearing trees per plant was as high as about 58 kilograms. The fruit cracking rate was controlled within 5%, and the entire site could still achieve an output of about 150,000 kilograms.

 

Fruit quality improvement table

years	Brix (°)	Average transverse diameter (mm)	color	purchase price (yuan/jin)
2022	10.5	48.5	Light color, harvested from November 5th to December 1st	3.2
2023	12.0	45.5	Light red in color, harvested from November 5th to November 25th	3.5
2024	13.6	49.6	The color is red and bright, harvested between November 1st and November 25th.	4.2

 

Uniform color change of Golden Autumn Tangerine is an important listing standard. The color is ruddy and translucent. Sugar content has also become one of the important standards in 2024. The optimal size of the fruit is between 45-60mm, and there is no speckle problem. Comprehensive 3-year data display: In 2022, the sugar content will be around 10-11 degrees, and harvesting will not be completed until early December. ； In 2023, the sugar content will increase by about 0.5-1 degrees to about 12, an increase of 5%-9% ； Harvesting will be completed by the end of November ； The average sugar content in 2024 is 13.64, an increase of 13% compared to 2023, and the harvest will be around November 25. Compared with peers, the overall sales unit price has increased year by year, and the quality of the base is highly recognized, achieving triple improvements in output, quality and purchase price. The base will achieve profitability in 2023 and 2024, and the estimated output value in 2025 will be approximately 2.8 million, a true breakthrough from loss to substantial profit.

Value extension - technology promotion and industrial impact

This set of technical models is not only suitable for Jinqiu sugar oranges, but also provides a practical path for the green planting of other citrus varieties. Through the establishment of standardized management processes, we help farmers achieve:

l Reduce the amount of chemical fertilizers by more than 30% and reduce production costs ；

l The average annual growth rate of output is more than 15%, and the income is steadily increasing. ；

l Fruit quality has improved significantly, and the purchase price is higher than the market average. ；

l Soil health continues to improve, and the orchard ecology enters a virtuous cycle.

Conclusion: Promoting agriculture through science and technology for a win-win future

The Golden Autumn Sugar Orange Standard Application Procedures with "biodynamic cultivation + digital management" as the core help growers reduce planting risks and successfully achieve the unification of economic benefits and ecological benefits. In the future, we will continue to optimize technical details, expand the scope of applications, provide reliable support to more growers, and promote the citrus industry towards high efficiency, high quality, and sustainability.