Serving as China's sole organically certified sorghum seed, red tassel sorghum features small grains with thick skins, perfectly suited for the sauce-flavor baijiu brewing process involving nine steamings, eight fermentations, and seven extractions of liquor. It stands as an irreplaceable "original grain code" for sauce-flavor baijiu. Today, we follow two grain farmers to explore the billion-level industry and new prospects for rural wealth creation behind this tiny red tassel.
Xue Kaihua, the "Red Tassel Star," returns to his hometown for 14 years, cultivating grain and carrying the baton of enriching farmers and increasing income. Entering August, red tassel sorghum begins its harvest. In Longbao Community, Luban Street, Renhuai City, Zunyi, the neighborhood committee is convening courtyard meetings with sorghum growers to guide key harvest points. "If rain is forecast, harvest early, dry for a day or two, then thresh with a machine. Drying sorghum on newly poured concrete or asphalt roads is also not allowed, as it affects quality," said Xue Kaihua, deputy director of the Longbao Community Neighborhood Committee in Luban Street, Renhuai City, Zunyi. He noted that sorghum must be packed in special bags provided by Kweichow Moutai Co.,Ltd. to ensure quality so farmers can sell at good prices.
Xue Kaihua, a technical expert in the community, began his story with red tassel sorghum 14 years ago. Previously, he worked as a migrant laborer, earning over 3,000 yuan per month, saving only about 10,000 yuan annually after expenses. In 2012, seeing his fellow villagers steadily increase income through contracted sorghum farming, he returned home to try growing it. "Organic fertilizers and seeds are provided by Kweichow Moutai Co.,Ltd., reducing production costs. With guaranteed purchase at minimum prices, there's no worry about selling the sorghum, and income is stable," Xue Kaihua calculated. On his 22 mu of land, his net annual income reached 50,000 yuan. Soon, he became a major sorghum grower and technical expert, joining the neighborhood committee in 2017 to lead the widespread promotion of red tassel sorghum. Today, in their community alone, over 560 households participate, with 2,900 mu of red tassel sorghum generating nearly 8 million yuan annually. "Kaihua often comes, guiding us on row spacing and hole spacing, and caring about everyone's planting," said Xue Renli, a resident of Longbao Community. He grows 11 mu of sorghum, harvesting over 7,000 jin last year, selling it to the seed company for over 40,000 yuan. During this year's Moutai red tassel sorghum harvest season, Xue Kaihua was honored as a "Red Tassel Star." Reflecting on this recognition, he said, "To increase income in agriculture, we need to constantly learn more knowledge. Every year, the agricultural technology station organizes training, and I also read science books. If I grow well, I hope everyone grows well, driving the surrounding community to develop together."
Tu Youneng, the pioneer of red tassel sorghum cultivation, dedicates 40 years to seed innovation, using bumper harvests to benefit millions of farmers. From Longbao Community to the entire nation, red tassel sorghum has driven 8.5 million farming households to increase income by over 10 billion yuan. Behind this industrial dividend is Tu Youneng, chief breeding expert of Moutai Group, who has devoted 40 years to seed improvement. "In this experimental field, we are selecting the ninth and tenth generations of red tassel sorghum. The tenth generation is a large-panicle type, mainly considering that many plots in Guizhou's mountainous areas are unsuitable for mechanized farming," Tu Youneng explained. Originally, 10,000 plants per mu were needed, but the tenth generation requires only 3,000 to 4,000 plants, with each panicle yielding 2 to 3 times more than before. In 1986, after graduating from agricultural school, Tu Youneng began selecting new sorghum seeds with higher yields and better suitability for sauce-flavor baijiu brewing, coinciding with the national push to develop Moutai liquor. Over 40 years, he has worked tirelessly on breeding, from searching for germplasm resources in rural areas to building standardized laboratories and traveling to Hainan for winter breeding. "The most unforgettable period was 13 consecutive years without good results. The turning point came in 1999 when I found a sorghum plant in a field called 'Niuweituo' at a farmer's home in Sanhe Town. It was over two meters tall, with good resistance and quality. I was thrilled and immediately photographed it, using it as the female parent to cross with other excellent lines, leading to today's red tassel," Tu Youneng recalled. Through 40 years of continuous research, his team has not only bred red tassel sorghum but also achieved breakthroughs in key indicators. From the first generation in 2008 to the seventh generation "519" released last year, the amylopectin content in red tassel sorghum, which determines sauce-liquor quality, has risen from 80.2% to 96% of total starch. Tannin content remains stable within the golden range of 1.5% to 2%, plant height has decreased from nearly 3 meters to 2.1 meters, growth period shortened by 13 days, and yield per mu increased from 200 kg to over 350 kg.
Tu Youneng's story inspires many young agronomists to pursue breeding, including Yang Yuning, a graduate of Guizhou University's College of Agriculture. She shared that she learned about Tu Youneng's work online before applying, was deeply moved, and after joining the company, received multiple guidance sessions from him. She believes that while breeding is challenging, hard work unlocks infinite possibilities, making it a highly rewarding endeavor. "Our company has 19 employees with postgraduate degrees in agriculture, with scientific personnel accounting for one-third of the staff," said Zhao Zhenyu, deputy general manager of Moutai Group's Hongyingzi Agricultural Technology Development Co., Ltd. He noted that advanced breeding techniques, such as space breeding reaching the F4 generation, are being introduced, using molecular markers and gene mapping to enhance the identification of red tassel sorghum and local variety resources. Currently, the province has nearly 2 million mu of red tassel sorghum, with over 50,000 households in Renhuai City alone participating, achieving an average income increase of over 15,000 yuan per household. Red tassel sorghum has become a crucial raw material for the province's sauce-flavor baijiu industry. "Scientific research has no limits! I am still not satisfied with the '519' red tassel sorghum's 2.1-meter plant height," Tu Youneng said. He aims to achieve a height of 1.8 to 2 meters to meet farming requirements, continuously improving quality and yield, ensuring win-win outcomes for both breweries and farmers, and playing a more positive role in rural revitalization.
Comments