Guangxi is an important production area of passion fruit in China. In the past few years, due to various reasons, such as suboptimal varieties and viruses, the output and planting area have decreased, and the quality and price have declined. In the past two years, the new variety "Qinmi No. 9" golden passion fruit has been successfully developed, and it was launched as a commercial fruit in 2021, attracting market attention. Recently, FreshPlaza spoke with Mr. Deng Fubin from Guangxi Qinci Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. to understand the development of this variety. "Qinmi No. 9" golden passion fruit is a new product jointly bred by the company and the Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
"The passion fruit in Guangxi was originally the " purple fruit variety, "Tainong No. 1. After years of planting, it was found that this variety is more suitable for high-altitude areas above 800 meters above sea level, and most areas in Guangxi are below 600 meters above sea level, which means the local conditions are not favorable for planting "Tainong No. 1". This has resulted in low flowering and fruit setting rates, viral diseases in seedlings, and overproduction. So, the planting area continues to decrease.
The new variety "Qinmi No. 9" golden passion fruit was successfully selected and planted in 2020. This variety is suitable for the natural conditions of the Guangxi production area and is expected to gradually become the main planting variety. Its planting area has also expanded from a few hundred last year to over 3,333 hectares this year and is expected to exceed 6000 hectares next year. " Deng introduced the development of new and old varieties of passion fruit.
"Currently, this variety is planted in Sanya, Hainan and Guangxi. The harvesting time varies and, coupled with the use of lighting technology, the combination of different production areas can make this product available all year round. In the Guangxi production area, July-November is the peak harvesting period, because the winter temperature will affect the quality. The advantages of the new variety include wide adaptability, high-temperature resistance, easy fruit setting and the biggest feature is the sweet taste, with an average Brix of 18-20. But there are some defects, such as being susceptible to freezing damage, gray mold, and anthracnose, which means continuous improvement is required. "
"This year there has been frequent rainfall in the southern region. There were two consecutive rainfalls between mid-May and early July, each lasting more than 20 days, which affected the production but not very seriously. The market price of this product is improving. The average orchard price last year was ￥20/kg, and this year it has exceeded ￥30/kg."
Talking about the challenge of "Qinmi No. 9", Deng believes that the main problem lies in the variety rights. "It takes two years from the registration to the application of the variety right, and it is currently waiting for approval. While we are actively promoting it, counterfeit seedlings have begun to start up. In order to maintain the healthy development of the seedlings, we have to continuously improve the varieties and introduce new ones.
"On the other hand, our company's own size is limited, and the output has not yet reached a large scale, so we hope that large-scale companies or capital are willing to invest in this variety to form a stable supply and quality." Deng said that they promoted it by distributing seedlings to growers, participating in exhibitions, and filming short videos. At the same time, the government of Qinnan District, Qinzhou, Guangxi, where the variety originated, also gave strong support.
Guangxi Qinci Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. is engaged in the cultivation and planting of passion fruit seedlings and has seedling greenhouses and cooperative planting bases. The sales method is mainly to connect with large-scale supply chain sellers, and at the same time sell through self-operated sales websites, wholesale market stalls and other channels.
More information:
Deng Fubin
Guangxi Qinci Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.
Tel: +86 13307779320
E-mail: [email protected]