◎ Reporter Wang Yanbin Correspondent Zhao Weiye
This apple is red. If you cut it, the flesh inside will show a bright red color! This is a new variety developed by Chen Xuesen, director of the National Apple Engineering Technology Research Center and academic leader of the national key discipline of fruit tree science of Shandong Agricultural University - "Happiness and Happiness".
On March 25, Shandong Agricultural University held a signing ceremony for the transfer of nursery stock breeding and management rights and cider processing technology of four new red meat apple varieties of "Happiness and Happiness". Hebei Pingquan Shangze Fruit Industry Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Shangze Fruit Industry) obtained the management rights for 16 million yuan. The four new varieties mentioned above are "Xinghong", "Fuhong", "Meihong" and "Manhong", whose initials are taken to form a combination of "happiness and happiness".
The reporter noticed that "Happiness and Happiness" are all red meat apples, but the difference is that "Xinghong", "Fuhong" and "Meihong" are fresh food varieties, while "Manhong" are special varieties for processing.
"This is a rare good variety." Shu Huairui, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and an expert in fruit tree science, said of the "Happy and Happy" new red meat apple variety. "Red meat apples are also rare in the world, and the" Happy and Happy "variety has achieved a series of breakthroughs, and is also rich in anthocyanins and vitamin C, which has great potential for promotion."
The "Happy and Happy" new red meat apple variety is a new high flavonoid apple variety bred by Chen Xuesen's team from the second generation of Xinjiang red meat apple hybrid separation population by using a series of national invention patents such as "apple multi source quality breeding method".
It is both delicious and "delicious", good for planting and looking good
Four new apple varieties sold for 16 million yuan. What are the selling points?
"'Happy' apples are both nutritious and delicious!" Chen Xuesen said to reporters that this series of varieties has achieved new breakthroughs in multi trait polymerization breeding of red meat apples, such as easy coloring, bagging free, red meat storable, and rich in flavonoids. If the selling point of "Xinghong", "Fuhong" and "Meihong" is delicious, then the feature of "Manhong" is "delicious".
Chen Xuesen told the reporter that the team has developed new equipment and new products for processing high flavonoid cider, which has extended the industrial chain of new varieties and improved competitiveness, in view of the high flavonoid content of "full red" pulp.
It is understood that Shangze Fruit Industry, the buyer of varieties, is a national high-tech enterprise integrating the introduction and breeding of new varieties, the research and promotion of modern cultivation technology, and the purchase, storage, transportation and sales of fruits. It is the first enterprise in Hebei Province engaged in the research and planting of characteristic apples in cold regions.
As early as May 2023, the National Apple Engineering Technology Research Center signed a cooperation agreement with Shangze Fruit Industry, established the Hebei Cold Area Apple Test Station, carried out cooperative research, applied for the patent of "a reverse skin grafting '321' garden building method suitable for the cold area to resist rotting disease", and published a paper around the cooperation of "cold area apples to help the revitalization of Northeast China".
Li Zhiqiang, the general manager of Suntech Fruit Industry, felt that the purchase of four new apple varieties with 16 million yuan was "worth more". "After a long time of experiment and research, whether in cold resistance, early maturity or adaptability, 'Xingfu Meiman' new red meat apple varieties are very suitable for planting in cold areas. In the future, it should be easy for 'Xinghong', 'Fuhong' and 'Meihong' to yield 6000 jin per mu. Moreover, the anthocyanin content of these varieties of apples is high, which can be sold for 10 yuan per jin. In addition to the profit of high flavonoid cider, the planting income must be very considerable. " Li Zhiqiang said.
After 20 years of sharpening the sword, "happiness and happiness" finally landed
Good results are not born overnight. The breeding of "Happy and Happy" new apple varieties has gone through nearly 20 years. As early as August 2005, Chen Xuesen led a team to investigate the Ili wild fruit forest at the foot of Tianshan Mountain in Xinjiang and found a wild apple forest covering an area of more than 100000 mu. They spent five years to re sequence the genomes of 117 apple germplasms around the world, proving that Xinjiang wild apples are the "ancestors" of the world's cultivated apples. This achievement was published in Nature Communication, causing a sensation.
The red flesh apple in Xinjiang wild apple is very novel. Its flavonoid and organic acid content is significantly higher than that of the cultivated varieties, and its flavor is unique. Can Xinjiang red meat apple and crisp red Fuji apple be crossed to create new red meat apple germplasm?
Chen Xuesen brought this problem back to Shandong together with Xinjiang red meat apple pollen, where he crossed Xinjiang red meat apple with Red Fuji and other apple varieties. In April 2007, the first generation of hybrid seedlings (F1 separated population) were planted in the base for pollination, hybridization and seedling raising
In 2019, the team successfully bred four new red meat apple varieties of "Happiness and Happiness", won the right of new plant varieties, and filled the gap in domestic red meat apple varieties. Relevant technical achievements won the second prize of the National Technological Invention Award in 2020 and the National Innovation Prize in 2023.
Where is the large-scale development of "happy and happy" new varieties, which is not only conducive to variety breeding and promotion, but also can maximize economic and social benefits? This was a difficult problem for Chen Xuesen.
During an investigation, Chen Xuesen realized that the vast northeast black land is mostly woodland and grassland, which is suitable for developing large-scale modern fruit industry. Moreover, the special climate conditions and fertile black land resources in Northeast China can effectively improve the sugar acid ratio of red meat apples and improve the quality of fresh food. More importantly, apples in cold regions can simultaneously improve ecological, economic and social benefits. While ensuring national ecological security, promoting regional economic and social development and increasing farmers' income, they can help revitalize the Northeast and contribute to the annual supply of high-quality apples.
Shangze Fruit has established a cold area apple demonstration park in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in the early stage, laying the foundation for the settlement of new "happy and happy" apple varieties. After long-term consideration, Chen Xuesen decided to cooperate with Shangze Fruit Industry. "In the next step, we will rely on the cold apple demonstration park to carry out the experimental demonstration and nursery stock breeding of new 'happy and happy' apple varieties." Chen said.
In this regard, Xu Jianbo, secretary of the Party Committee of Shandong Agricultural University, said that Shandong Agricultural University, based on the construction of a first-class agricultural university, strengthened scientific and technological innovation, insisted on writing the best papers on the land of the motherland, and worked hard to make contributions to the overall revitalization of the countryside, the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin, and the revitalization of the east and the north.
