1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 331 Seedling Cultivation Direction
Peng Qian had always given Chen Jiazhi the impression of a retired old man who spoke slowly and deliberately.

However, when Peng Qian started working at the nursery, Chen Jiazhi felt his abundant energy.

He has a slight hunchback and likes to go shirtless as soon as he enters the seedling shed. At the same time, he can concentrate on grafting melon seedlings for one or two hours. I heard that he was covered in sweat for two consecutive days.

Chen Jiazhi couldn't help but advise Peng Qian to be careful and not ruin his health.

“Mr. Chen, you’re underestimating me. I’ve been doing this for decades.”

That day, Peng Qian was also shirtless, revealing his slightly lean muscles, as he laid out substrate for the seedlings in the planting trays.

Chen Jiazhi had just returned from the city and saw this scene. He smiled wryly and said, "Old Peng, I invited you here to do technical research, not to do manual labor."

Peng Qian, with his neck stiff and his voice loud, said, "The substrate for seedling cultivation also falls under the scope of technical research. I learned about the composition of the seedling substrate in the nursery while I was working."

"Summer leafy vegetable seedling transplanting is quite interesting. Combining seedling trays and shade nets, the survival rate is no different from that of open-air transplanting in autumn and winter. Mr. Chen, how did you come up with the idea of ​​doing this?"

A flash of inspiration.

"What a brilliant idea! Scientific research requires imagination. Mr. Chen, you have great research potential!"

“I am indeed very interested, which is why I asked you and Ji Song to be in charge of the technical work at the seedling nursery.”

Ji Song was also in the seedling shed. He was short and studied vegetable science, which was one of the earliest disciplines established at South China Agricultural University.

While Peng Qian is very experienced in the cultivation and breeding of leafy vegetables such as bok choy, Ji Song is more of a jack-of-all-trades than a master, having some knowledge of eggplant, root vegetables, and leafy vegetables.

After two days, Ji Song had figured out his future career path, and when he met the boss, he shared his insights.

"Mr. Chen, if you want to set up a seedling farm, in addition to the varieties introduced from abroad, the local varieties may actually be more adaptable."

Another problem is that, unlike in the north, South China doesn't have the tradition of planting grafted seedlings, so our seedlings might not have a market.

Chen Jiazhi nodded and said, "Therefore, we need to conduct grafting experiments to find combinations with better yield and stronger resistance, so that our seedlings will be competitive."

After a pause, Chen Jiazhi wiped the sweat from his forehead and was amazed that Peng Qian and Ji Song could endure the stuffy heat in the seedling shed.

"If there are high-quality seedlings that can't be sold, the market will grow them itself. If one market isn't big enough, I'll build another one."

"There is still a big difference between grafted seedlings and seedlings grown from seed. I believe that once farmers see the actual comparison, there will be a market for them."

Ji Song pondered for a moment and said, "Then I have no problem. Now I just need to wait to conduct more experiments and find a grafting combination suitable for planting in the south."

Compared to the north, grafting is less commonly used in the south, and related research is also relatively scarce.

However, Chen Jiazhi knew that as continuous cropping became increasingly serious in the southern production areas, the advantages of grafted seedlings would soon become apparent.

The same applies to tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, and bitter melons.

Moreover, Chen Jiazhi vaguely remembered a few combinations, such as grafting cucumbers and melons onto Yunnan black-seeded pumpkins.

There is also a famous rootstock for eggplants, which was introduced from Japan. He forgot the name, but he remembered that there was a similar rootstock variety in China, the wild eggplant variety from Yunnan: Water Eggplant, which can resist diseases such as Verticillium wilt.

Tomatoes are also susceptible to bacterial wilt when grown in open fields in the south, often resulting in total crop failure, but this can be resolved through grafting.

However, he couldn't remember what kind of rootstock he used.

These are all research tasks for the seedling nursery.

However, currently only the grafting of bitter gourd and loofah, the seedling cultivation of leafy vegetables, and the research on base ratios are being promoted.

As Peng Qian said, the substrates required for leafy vegetables and solanaceous vegetables are also different.

The substrate that Chen Jiazhi previously prepared was more suitable for leafy vegetables, but there is still a lot of room for improvement.

Grafting of other crops such as tomatoes, eggplants, and cucumbers has not yet been carried out.

However, Chen Jiazhi also assigned Peng Qian and Ji Song a task: to first collect seeds of local varieties.

This allowed the two to temporarily come out of the seedling shed.

It's all about money. The salaries are too high, and both of them have inexhaustible energy.

...

Another day passed, and Hong Zhong also brought back large and small bags of seeds from the north.

Chen Jiazhi immediately convened a meeting with the people at the seedling farm to discuss the seeds that Hong Zhong had brought back.

The main vegetables are cucumbers, eggplants, and tomatoes, with both domestic and international varieties available.

Peng Qian, Ji Song, Fang Xuelin and the others were looking at the introductions of the varieties one by one, while Chen Jiazhi looked at the names of the varieties first. Apart from Jin Chun cucumber, he could not remember any of the varieties.

It won't be of much help with the subsequent grafting combinations, but it does show that foreign seed companies are not particularly dominant at present.

The fact that Hong Zhong was able to easily secure the agency also reveals something about this.

After everyone had learned about the seeds, Chen Jiazhi clapped his hands and said, "Director Ma from the Yuanmou Agricultural Bureau in Yunnan will be here soon. We should be able to introduce some varieties from research institutions in Yunnan later. For example, black-seeded pumpkins can be used as rootstock for grafting cucumbers, and there is also a type of water eggplant that should be used as rootstock for eggplant wilt resistance."

Both of these methods can be validated earlier, put into actual production as soon as possible, and generate profits sooner.

The use of black-seeded pumpkin as rootstock for cucumbers has already been verified in Shandong, but those present at the scene were unaware of this and assumed that Chen Jiazhi had obtained the information from elsewhere.

Ji Song coughed, picked up a bag of eggplants he had brought back from the north, and said, "President Chen, I have a question about eggplants. The cultivation and consumption of eggplants are highly regional."

In South China, long, purplish-red eggplants are preferred, while judging from these varieties, those in the North seem to prefer round, purple eggplants, green eggplants, green-calyx purple eggplants, and purple-calyx long, purplish-red eggplants.

Chen Jiazhi was taken aback. He hadn't really considered this issue, mainly because he hadn't been to the North much and had no idea what kind of eggplants Northerners liked to eat!

Hong Zhong chimed in, "The North is indeed different. I went to Beijing, where they prefer long, slender eggplants, not too thick ones. I've also heard that Datong and Inner Mongolia prefer short, thick eggplants, and some places in Hebei prefer green eggplants."

"..."

After thinking for a while, Chen Jiazhi estimated that the effects of the eggplant varieties he brought back from the north would be greatly reduced.

"Let's consider the consumption habits in the South; we should eliminate what needs to be eliminated."

“That won’t work either.” Ji Song said sternly, “It’s best to go by the market and the place of origin. If it’s grown nearby, then we should pursue a higher quality combination. If it’s grown in Yunnan and sold in the Pearl River Delta, then we should consider long-stemmed eggplants that are more resistant to storage and transportation.”

"Hmm, okay, that suggestion makes sense."

Chen Jiazhi is indeed lacking in expertise when it comes to solanaceous vegetables, but fortunately, there are others who help him improve.

The discussion then turned to tomatoes. To gain a market in the south, it's possible to combine the high yield of imported varieties with grafting local, highly resistant rootstocks, thus achieving both high yield and high resistance...

Cucumbers, tomatoes, and eggplants are also widely cultivated in the south, and grafting has been attempted on bitter melons and loofahs.

Furthermore, for leafy vegetables that have already entered the production stage, the research framework of seedling farms is quite comprehensive.

In the end, Peng Qian said, "Boss Chen's thinking is very clear. It's obvious that he didn't just decide to do this on a whim. In the long run, our seedling farm has a very promising future!"

“I’m getting old and may not be able to work at the seedling farm for another two or three years, but Xiao Ji, you’re still young. The seedling farm may need you to carry it forward in the future.”

Ji Song nodded slightly, "Old Peng, I understand. When it comes to agriculture, no matter where you are, it's hard to accomplish anything without perseverance."

At least from the current analysis, the research direction of seedling farms shows promising prospects and financial potential.

Moreover, the market provides a safety net, and Jiangxin Market's operational capabilities are sufficient to guarantee the researchers' compensation.

Ji Song understood Peng Qian's implied meaning.

Chen Jiazhi smiled and said, "Old Peng, this has only just begun. You're already thinking about quitting? That won't do. I'm still waiting for you to shine."

"Hey, as long as I'm here, I'll definitely do my best to get it done for you!"

Peng Qian's monthly retirement pension is only about two hundred yuan, and he lives a relatively frugal life. The income from the vegetable market is a great help to improve his living conditions.

For Chen Jiazhi, a person engaged in breeding will inevitably conduct various planting experiments throughout their life, and Peng Qian's experience is quite important.

If Ji Song can continue working at the vegetable market for a long time, then he has a bright future.

Suddenly, a burst of noise came from the room.

"The weather's changing, it's going to rain, quickly cover it with plastic sheeting!"

"Hurry up!"

"Run! Run!"

The group noticed the light dimming and immediately stopped the meeting, heading outside. Dark clouds loomed overhead, threatening a storm.

Peng Qian jogged downstairs, calling out to Ji Song and Fang Xuelin, "Ji, Fang, hurry back and collect the clothes!"

The three of them moved to the dormitory near the vegetable market. Ji Song muttered, "Didn't you say you didn't like wearing them? Why are you still collecting clothes?"

Chen Jiazhi went up to the roof and looked around at the figures covering the plastic sheeting. Because he was standing high up, he could also see the Dongsheng Farm, which was clearly lagging behind.

The rain in mid-August was also caused by a typhoon. It lasted intermittently for two or three days and once again severely impacted vegetable production in the region. Vegetable prices also surged immediately after the rain stopped.

When Ma Ming and others from Yuanmou arrived, the water in the ditches and ridges of Jiangxin Vegetable Market had only receded a day or two. The vegetables in the market had also developed yellowed leaves due to the long-term suffocation, but at least the vegetables were saved.

When they learned that the wholesale price of such vegetables could reach nearly 3 yuan per kilogram, and that if supplied to Hong Kong, the price would be close to 3 yuan, Ma Ming and the others felt that they had made the right decision.

This is a great price.

In the past two years, the farmgate price of winter tomatoes and cucumbers in Yuanmou could reach six or seven mao per jin. When transported to Beijing, the wholesale price could sometimes reach three or five yuan, or even ten yuan per jin.

However, with the rise of greenhouse vegetables in Shandong in the past two years, the farmgate price of winter vegetables in Yuanmou has been declining year by year.

The opening of the Huacheng Market would be beneficial to the development of the vegetable industry in Yuanmou.

(End of this chapter)