After 18 years of dedicated research and development, a significant milestone has been reached in apple breeding in Gansu Province. Recently, at the 2026 Seed Conference and Nanfan Silicon Valley Forum held in Sanya, Hainan, a new apple variety named 'Qinyuanhong No. 3', developed by the Institute of Forestry, Fruit, and Flowers of the Gansu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, successfully completed its commercialization with a contract value of 2.68 million yuan. This achievement marks the first-ever successful transfer of a locally bred apple variety in Gansu, filling a critical gap in the province's agricultural development.
'Qinyuanhong No. 3' was cultivated by the Apple Breeding and Cultivation Collaborative Innovation Team at the academy. The team, focusing on the cold, arid, and high-altitude apple-growing regions of Northwest China and utilizing multiple national-level research platforms, established a comprehensive system for breeding and cultivation research. After 18 years of persistent effort, they successfully developed this high-quality new variety.
This variety overcomes the limitations of traditional apple cultivation. Its core advantage is the ability to produce fully red, high-quality fruit without the need for bagging. The apples have uniform coloration, a clean and smooth surface, and a soluble solid content ranging from 14.7% to 17.08%. The flesh is fine and crisp with a rich aroma, indicating superior quality.
In terms of disease resistance and high yield, the variety also demonstrates outstanding performance. It shows high resistance to common fruit tree diseases such as anthracnose leaf blight, apple scab, and powdery mildew. The trees are vigorous, bear fruit early, and are highly productive. Additionally, the apples have good storage and transport tolerance and a long shelf life, perfectly aligning with the industry's trend towards simplified and labor-saving cultivation practices.
Currently, 'Qinyuanhong No. 3' has been introduced for trial cultivation in major production areas within Gansu, such as Pingliang, Qingyang, and Tianshui, as well as in other key apple-growing regions across China, including Shaanxi, Shandong, Xinjiang, and Yunnan. It has shown stable characteristics under diverse climatic and soil conditions, demonstrating significant potential for large-scale promotion. This variety can effectively fill a gap in the mid-season and mid-late season apple markets.
The industrial promotion of this variety is expected to substantially reduce cultivation costs for growers and enhance the profitability of apple farming. It is reported that the team has already developed a complete cultivation technology system for 'Qinyuanhong No. 3', providing solid technical support for its large-scale planting and standardized production, thereby facilitating its entry into the national market.
Wang Weicheng, Director of the Institute of Forestry, Fruit, and Flowers, stated that this successful commercialization is a vital practice of agricultural technological self-reliance and innovation for the province. It completely rewrites the history of no successful commercialization of locally bred apple varieties in Gansu, significantly enhances the competitiveness of the "Ganwei" brand apple, and will contribute Gansu's strength to the quality upgrade of the apple industry on the Loess Plateau in Northwest China and to the innovative development of the national apple seed industry.
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