China News Service, Yuncheng, February 17th: Title: Shanxi Xinjiang: "The blessing of dedication" "written" in the nectarine greenhouse
Author Lu Qiguo Lu Haochen
The sun had just lifted its veil, and Li Xiang rushed to his nectarine greenhouse. As the button was pressed, the insulation quilt covering the greenhouse was slowly rolled up.
Wan'an Town, Xinjiang County, Shanxi Province, where Li Xiang is located, is the largest contiguous high-quality nectarine production base in North China, with an annual output of 110,000 tons of nectarines.
"Whether we can have a good harvest this year, the management of the half-month period of the flowering period is very critical." During the Spring Festival, many peach farmers in Wan'an Town work hard in nectarine greenhouses every day like they are caring for babies.
Grafting is completed and covered with film and soil. Photo by Lu Haochen
Li Hailong is Li Xiang's father. He started growing cash crops 30 years ago. "I tried growing black plums and apples but failed. Later, the town developed the nectarine industry and finally found the right path."
The premise of "getting on the right track" as Li Hailong said is to seriously study management techniques. Whenever Wan'an Town organizes agricultural technicians to come to teach, Li Hailong will rush to the venue in advance to study hard no matter how busy he is.
"I used to hear people say, 'If you don't study hard, you will be forced to farm.' In fact, I have long realized that if you don't study hard, you may not be able to farm well." Li Hailong said, from soil management to the use of water and fertilizer, from trees From pruning to flower and fruit management, from fruit thinning to pest and disease control, every technique must be learned.
For many years, Li Hailong and his son had been planting nectarines in the field. The two plots of land totaled 8.7 acres, with an average income of 5,000 to 6,000 yuan per mu. In order to increase their income, they invested 280,000 yuan to build two cold sheds before the Spring Festival.
On the morning of February 16, Li Hailong and his son invited agricultural technicians to their cold shed to graft several nectarine trees. "These are a few hybrid plants. If they are grafted now, they will bear fruit in a year."
During the interview, the reporter heard a slight noise on the roof of the shed. A closer look revealed that at some point, a "hole" had been opened in the roof of the shed, about 50 centimeters wide.
"It's called the 'air outlet', and the maximum opening width is about 1.2 meters." Li Xiang explained that there is a temperature controller installed in the greenhouse, and the maximum temperature is set to 19°C. If the temperature inside the shed exceeds the upper limit, the air vents on the roof will automatically open. If the air vents are 100% open but the temperature inside the greenhouse still exceeds 19°C, you need to manually open the "bottom curtain" on the side of the greenhouse to cool down.
"Please" bring a box of bees to complete the pollination work of the 2.7 acres of nectarine greenhouse. Photo by Lu Haochen
Li Xiang told reporters that in recent years, peach farmers in Wan'an Town have made good profits. Taking 2023 as an example, the average net income per mu of cold shed peach farmers will be around 16,000 yuan. “The prerequisite for ensuring income is careful management, which requires manual investment.”
Human input is reflected in many aspects. Pruning, fruit thinning, watering, fertilizing, temperature adjustment, putting insulating quilts every day... If it snows, the snow must be cleared at any time to prevent the greenhouse from being crushed by snow.
On the third day of the first lunar month, Li Xiang was visiting a relative's house. He noticed that the mobile phone APP indicated that the temperature inside the greenhouse was too high, so he immediately drove to the greenhouse and opened the "bottom curtain". The temperature rose significantly on the 16th, so he declined invitations to relatives and friends and was ready to open the "bottom curtain" at any time.
"All peach farmers with greenhouses are the same. Even on the first day of the Lunar New Year, you have to work in the shed after breakfast." Li Xiang said that there are no shortcuts in the planting and management of high-quality nectarines. It must be a matter of hard work and harvest. .
Peach blossoms are blooming, and sweetness comes from hard work. Photo by Lu Haochen
Zhang Xiayan, deputy mayor of Wan'an Town, said that in 2023, in order to help peach farmers increase their income, the town took the initiative to connect with financial institutions and inject funds into the development of facility nectarines, and 1,623 acres of new nectarine greenhouses were built in the town.
Among them, Xintian Rural Bank extended credit of 5 million yuan to the entire Mazhuang Village and issued special loans of 8 million yuan to 80 peach farmers in the town; Postal Savings Bank issued special loans of 5.2 million yuan to 36 peach farmers in the town; Rural Commercial Bank 120 peach farmers in the town were granted special loans worth 14.48 million yuan.
“There are always several months every year when peach farmers are very busy, but everyone is motivated and motivated.” That afternoon, many peach farmers went to the nectarine greenhouse again and put down the insulation quilts on the roof one by one. As the sun set, they stood on the roof of the shed, their shadows stretched very long. (over)