Tech-cultivation makes life, work peachy in east China

NANJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The application of modern agricultural technology in Yangshan Township, east China's Jiangsu Province, is breathing new life into the centuries-old cultivation traditions of this "hometown of honey peaches."

Yangshan Township of Wuxi City is often celebrated as one of China's four major peach-producing areas. Decades of selective breeding and cultivation have yielded over 30 distinct varieties of Yangshan peach, drawing many enthusiasts to head to the source to purchase or pick their own every year.

The peach trees in Sun Jianqin's orchard stand out from those typical in other places. In Sun's orchard, peach trees bred with new technology are three or four meters in height, much taller than normal. In addition, Sun's peach trees feature two large branches, which makes the fruits easy to pick. Normal peach trees have fruits scattered on three to four main branches among denser branches, which makes picking difficult to mechanize.

With a passion for machinery, Sun has tailored his peach farm to accommodate new varieties, streamlining the automation process. For example, the laborious task of climbing ladders to harvest was a significant inconvenience for workers. But on Sun's farm, the space between the rows of trees is larger, reaching 1.5 meters, to allow machines to pass through. Now, workers simply stand on a movable "elevator platform," expediting and simplifying the picking process.

The new cultivation model in his 150-mu (about 10 hectares) orchard has helped boost yield potential by at least 20 percent. It is more cost-effective and efficient than traditional manual labor as well, according to Sun.

Almost every household in Yangshan is involved in peach cultivation, with an increasing number of farmers eager to harness the "sweetness" of science and technology.

In 2023, the output value of peaches in Yangshan was about 900 million yuan (about 126 million U.S. dollars), and the output value of the industrial chain of the peach industry exceeded 2 billion yuan. The per capita disposable income of farmers was 66,000 yuan during the period, up 4.9 percent year on year, according to the local government.

"In the past, most peach farmers planted peaches spontaneously on their own land, but they lacked guidance on how to improve the soil and how to dose pesticides and fertilizers. After introduction and training by the local government and institutes, more and more peach farmers are actively trying to adopt new technology to grow peaches," said Dai Huijun, a manager of the local agricultural industrial park.

Bolstered by the research institute, a suite of innovative planting technologies has been extensively disseminated, encompassing sensor-aided monitoring of peach tree growth, preemptive pest and disease alert systems, and soil-analytic irrigation protocols.

On the assembly line at Wuxi Taihu Yangshan Peach Tech Co., Ltd., peaches of varying sizes are meticulously arranged, with 3D vision technology facilitating the intelligent sorting of over 180 peaches per minute, categorizing them by attributes such as shape, weight and sweetness.

After sorting and packing, another important step is getting them to the consumers in one piece and on time.

In June, SF Express, a leading Chinese logistics firm, initiated the use of a fleet of novel, energy-efficient drones for direct transportation of peaches from the farms to regional logistics hubs. From these hubs, the peaches embark on journeys via cargo aircraft along long-haul routes, reaching customers in key markets such as Singapore and Dubai. Customers in neighboring provinces in China can receive their peaches within just half-day.

Earlier this year, China unveiled its "No. 1 central document" for 2024, outlining the priorities for comprehensively promoting rural revitalization this year. The document calls for efforts to strengthen the role of sci-tech development in promoting rural revitalization.

"With new technology, we can digitize and green the peach industry. Our aspiration is to cultivate superior quality peaches and elevate the prestige of the Yangshan peach brand," said Yao Guojin, deputy head of Yangshan Township.