In the orchards across Jingning County's townships, fruit farmers are busy with pruning, fertilizing, and garden cleaning. This year's spring farming in Jingning not only retains its usual bustle but also carries a fresh "new atmosphere," with new technologies and models bringing renewed hope to growers.
In Leigou Village, Zhiping Town, neat rows of dwarf, high-density orchards stretch across the land. Village Party Secretary Lei Jinjun carefully inspects the connections of drip irrigation belts. "In the past, watering the orchard required the whole family to work for days. Now, with just a turn of the valve, water and fertilizer are delivered directly to the tree roots through pipes. This saves water and fertilizer, and the fruit grows better," he said, pointing to the orchard before him.
An official from Zhiping Town's Agricultural and Rural Comprehensive Service Center explained that this year, orchard renewal is a top priority, with a determined effort to address the "three old" problems: old varieties, old tree forms, and old techniques. To increase farmers' income, crops like potatoes, pumpkins, and peppers are interplanted in the orchards. Cadres are assigned to specific areas to help farmers calculate detailed accounts, boosting their confidence and enthusiasm.
In Chengchuan Town, a unique "field classroom" is attracting many fruit farmers. Jingning's fruit industry technicians, holding pruning shears, gather around a fruit tree, explaining key points such as shaping and pruning, garden cleaning, and green pest control while demonstrating. Farmers listen attentively, with questions raised from time to time. After the session, farmer Wang Nüwa smiled and said, "I used to rely entirely on old experience and was reluctant to prune where needed. Today, I learned scientific orchard management methods and feel more confident about this year's harvest!"
From "relying on experience" to "relying on data," the spring breeze of technology has also blown into the orchards of Yuwan Township. Farmer Li Jianjun took out his phone, skillfully opened the "Smart Farming" app, which clearly displays soil moisture and light intensity in his orchard. "In the past, I relied on intuition; now, data makes the decisions," he said with a smile, noting that this "far-sighted eye" allows him to manage his orchard from home.
It is reported that over 1,600 farming households in the township are now using this system, with technology becoming a "new farming tool" for prosperity.
Industrial development requires not only innovation but also comprehensiveness. Jieshipu Town is not only an optimal area for apples but also a key production zone for early crisp pears. In Qili Village, farmer Jing Xuexue is busy spreading organic fertilizer in the field. "The town provided free fertilizer and mulch film, saving nearly 400 yuan on this alone, and also taught scientific fertilizing methods," he said. This year, the town has transferred nearly 2,000 mu of pear orchards, inviting experts to "diagnose and prescribe" to rejuvenate old pear orchards.
"Spring is a critical period for nutrient accumulation in fruit trees. Pruning should ensure ventilation and light penetration, and fertilization should be scientific and reasonable, avoiding excessive nitrogen..." In the orchards of Renda Town, Jia Junping, director of Jingning County's Fruit Tree and Product Research Institute, is providing on-site guidance.
Farmer Qian Junxia has been busy supplementing fertilizer for her fruit trees these days. Last year, her family earned 200,000 yuan, greatly boosting her confidence in apple cultivation. "With good policies and technology delivered right to our doorstep, I'm determined to work even harder this year to grow more 'golden fruits,'" she said.
"This year, we aim to promote new varieties, technologies, models, and mechanisms, completing the transformation of 10,000 mu of old orchards. We want to polish the 'Jingning Apple' brand even brighter, making it a true 'golden fruit' for increasing people's income," said Wang Juntang, director of Jingning County's Forestry and Grassland Bureau.
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