1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 361 I still want to see your unruly side.
Yuanmou.

After more than three months of growth, seed-producing bok choy, Chinese cabbage, lettuce, and other vegetables have been harvested one after another.

Harvesting, drying, threshing, cleaning...

Each step of the process is not easy.

Peng Qian kept a close watch, also eager to find a suitable environment for seed production in Yuanmou, which was even better than he had imagined.

The warm, dry climate allows the seeds to have very low moisture content after only simple drying.

After being screened using a winnowing fan and sieve by farmers, the rapeseed seeds showed excellent performance in terms of size, plumpness, and color.

Seed yields also far exceeded expectations.

The yield of conventional Chinese cabbage seeds is already low, but this time in Yuanmou, the seed yield per mu reached 60-70 jin.

Such benefits would not only cover costs but could also generate a slight profit.

After giving a brief report, Peng Qian added, "We are currently conducting germination experiments to test purity, cleanliness, and germination rate. There is a high probability that we will meet export standards."

Chen Jiazhi thought for a moment and then asked, "It's almost Chinese New Year, have you bought your return tickets yet?"

Peng Qian: "Uh...not yet."

Chen Jiazhi: "Hurry up and buy them. I'll wait for you to come back so we can go find Ding Jianhui and have him check the quality of the bok choy seeds."

Peng Qian: "..."

Ding Jianhui was the purchasing agent for Huacheng Seed Company. Chen Jiazhi went through a lot of trouble to get the opportunity to produce trial seeds from him.

Chen Jiazhi is not a vengeful person.

All I remember him saying was, "I can't guarantee we'll buy it back after the harvest," "Kid, don't be so confident," "Exporting seeds isn't that easy," and "Who do you think you are?"

The total yield of Sijiu Chinese cabbage seeds this time was decent, close to 2,000 jin, but most of them were orders obtained at the Beijing Seed Trade Fair.

Only a small portion belonged to Ding Jianhui.

Originally, the parent stock we received from him was of many varieties, but the quantity of each variety was very small.

It's only right to have him inspect the goods, and it wouldn't be too much to accidentally reveal a little more, would it?

Peng Qian was both amused and exasperated; this young boss was quite vengeful.

He could only elaborate further.

This year's winter breeding program in Yuanmou had both successes and failures.

Besides Chinese cabbage, other leafy vegetable seeds were also obtained, although the purity of some seeds still needs to be verified.

Meanwhile, the seed production of solanaceous crops was not successful due to unfamiliarity with the technology and lack of understanding of the low nighttime temperatures in Yuanmou during January and February, and further improvements are needed.

Moreover, there are also issues of profitability.

Most varieties of Chinese cabbage, such as bok choy, are conventionally bred, resulting in low yields, average prices, and low economic benefits, sometimes even less than growing vegetables directly.

Relatively speaking, hybrid seed production yields higher output, the price of the female parent is also higher, and the male parent can also be sold as a conventional commercial seed.

If you have good hybrids, the profits can be dozens of times higher.

Similarly, the profits from hybrid seed production of tomatoes, green peppers, and eggplants are also very high, and future development should continue in this direction.

Chen Jiazhi said, "Old Peng, all of this is easy to discuss. You should hurry up and buy your ticket back. I'm afraid Ding Jianhui will be on vacation by the time you get back."

Peng Qian: "..."

The success of the trial propagation brought Chen Jiazhi a taste of success.

Although the results are still only so-so, we have already embarked on the right path.

However, Chen Jiazhi also kept the matter of hybrid varieties in mind. Currently, there are few hybrid varieties of Chinese cabbage, but they will be very common in the future.

He thought of the pointed-leaf Chinese cabbage that Zhang Hua was researching.

Besides contract breeding, once policies are relaxed, varieties can be licensed from research institutes to enter the seed industry, so it is not necessary to breed them entirely on our own.

Perhaps we could also collaborate with research institutions and universities?

After ending the call, Chen Jiazhi did not go back to the rooftop, but went downstairs to the seedling greenhouse.

These 10-acre greenhouses now serve multiple purposes, including grafting research and a dedicated seedling nursery.

Plates of Chinese kale, with a few true leaves unfolded, were continuously transported by workers to the vegetable market for transplanting.

One mu of greenhouse can grow enough kale seedlings to transplant to about 37-38 mu. Even if 10 mu of greenhouse is used entirely for cultivating kale seedlings, it is not enough to transplant to 400 mu.

Therefore, after disinfection, the vacated greenhouses were immediately used for sowing.

In addition to kale, cucumbers, eggplants, and tomatoes used at the Lianzhou base will also be seeded in the second batch.

This also includes rootstock.

Therefore, the task of the 10-mu seedling greenhouse is particularly heavy, and even with non-stop operation, it cannot meet the seedling needs of the 1000-mu cooperative base in Lianzhou.

They had to be separated: half were cultivated locally as seedlings, and the other half were cultivated in Huacheng as grafted seedlings before being transported there.

This also allows for a more direct comparison and plays a certain role in promotion.

Moreover, because grafting is required, the grafted seedlings will be ready for transplanting around April, which is later than the conventional seedlings. They will also face harsher weather conditions later on, but this will better demonstrate the resistance advantages of the grafted seedlings.

Furthermore, vegetable prices are significantly higher during the hot summer months.

The vegetable market has conducted experimental verification of the performance of the existing grafting combinations in Guangdong, and the results are good, but further practical application is needed to prove them.

...

Three days later, Peng Qian finally returned from Yuanmou, where Chen Jiazhi picked up the traditional breeder at the station.

He was also carrying a plastic bag of seeds for use as samples.

When putting it in the trunk, Chen Jiazhi untied the rope and looked inside; there were many small packages inside.

Peng Qian said, "I brought back some of each kind of seed, including Chinese cabbage, bok choy, Shanghai bok choy, and lettuce, and also mailed a copy to the seed propagation unit."

Chen Jiazhi casually picked up another small packet of seeds, opened it, grabbed a handful and spread them out in his palm, carefully selecting them, "Good seeds."

Peng Qian smiled and said, "I'll call Ji Song again when I get back to the office. The germination rate should be tallied by now."

I think it's very good, even better than most Chinese cabbage seeds used for export!

Chen Jiazhi quickly put the seeds back, tied them tightly, closed the trunk, and opened the car door. "Old Peng, go back and make a call, and also arrange to meet Ding Jianhui." Peng Qian smiled wryly; it seemed this hurdle was insurmountable.

Actually, Chen Jiazhi was just joking; he and Ding Jianhui didn't have any deep-seated hatred for each other.

Moreover, they will need to rely on others for orders in the future.

After starting the car, Chen Jiazhi remembered the lettuce seeds he had just mentioned. "Old Peng, is the lettuce from Nanjing Dali Lettuce? How did it perform in Yuanmou?"

Peng Qian: "Very good. They look beautiful and taste great. Old Li likes to use them for hot pot."

Chen Jiazhi: "I plan to try it out in Guangzhou and see how it performs."

Peng Qian thought for a moment and said, "Lettuce is quite adaptable, it should work."

Lettuce is a timeless and popular vegetable, so of course it's a good option. Chen Jiazhi just wants to capitalize on the market's current boom period.

Soon, we arrived at the office of Kaopu Fresh.

Peng Qian didn't delay. While Chen Jiazhi was boiling water, he called Ji Song.

Then it was as if the other person said a number, and he would repeat the number.

"Purity 96.5%".

"Clarity 98.3%"

"Germination rate 93%"

"Moisture 6.1%."

With each number he mentioned, Peng Qian's voice would rise slightly, and by the time he got to the point of being "watered down," he was practically in a frenzy.

When one or two people walk by outside the office, they will also look inside curiously.

After Peng Qian finished his call, Chen Jiazhi had also made tea and asked, "Mr. Peng, were the experimental results excellent?"

Peng Qian smiled and said, "At least Ding Jianhui will be very interested in this result."

Chen Jiazhi laughed, "That's enough."

After having a cup of tea, Peng Qian called the vegetable seed wholesaler again to schedule an inspection time with Ding Jianhui.

After a while, probably having received a notification, Ding Jianhui called back.

"Old Peng, have you successfully produced seed bok choy?"

Producing choy sum seeds is not difficult; the difficulty lies in this season. Producing choy sum seeds in winter is rare, especially in inland areas.

Peng Qian looked up and smiled at Chen Jiazhi, then said, "Manager Ding, seeing is believing. I also brought back samples of the seeds. You can take them back and test them. Hmm, in my opinion, they are much better than the cabbage seeds you export."

"I'm in Baiyun now, and I'm available anytime."

"Okay, see you later."

After hanging up the phone, Peng Qian laughed loudly and said, "Ding Jianhui panicked and invited us to lunch together."

Chen Jiazhi's mind was now clear.

The fact that Ding Jianhui was so eager to set aside his pride shows just how severe the decline in the city's vegetable seed company's foreign exchange earnings from seed exports must be.

Peng Qian wouldn't make a fool of him over this, so it's not surprising that his attitude changed drastically.

It just looked a little comical.

The dinner was also arranged in Baiyun. Chen Jiazhi and Peng Qian were not in a hurry, but they did not put on airs either.

However, when they arrived at the hotel, Ding Jianhui was already waiting at the entrance. "President Chen, Lao Peng, it's been a while, but you still look as dashing as ever."

Chen Jiazhi replied, "Manager Ding is very efficient. He even brought the seeds. Shall we inspect the goods first?"

"There's no rush to inspect the goods. I trust Lao Peng." Ding Jianhui waved his hand and said, "Let's eat first, and then we can talk about work."

Despite saying that, Chen Jiazhi noticed a fleeting, unnatural look in Ding Jianhui's expression.

So he also brought a small bag of about 2 kilograms of bok choy seeds into the restaurant's private room.

After placing it on the table, Ding Jianhui exchanged a few polite words before examining it very carefully.

a long time.

He sighed and said, "It's really good! If the purity and moisture content were a bit better, it would definitely be a top-grade product!"

Peng Qian laughed and said, "We've also tested it internally. The germination rate is 93%, the purity is 96.5%, the cleanliness is 98.3%, and the moisture content is 6.1%. These should all be far higher than the export standards, right?"

"Can it really reach this target?" Ding Jianhui was so shocked he couldn't close his mouth.

Peng Qian: "Our testing is rather rudimentary. We brought the samples back because we wanted to see the professional test results."

"No problem!" Ding Jianhui slammed his hand on the table and then asked, "What is the total yield of the bok choy seeds?"

Peng Qian: "Nearly two thousand jin."

Ding Jianhui asked in surprise, "So many?"

Chen Jiazhi quickly reminded him, "Manager Ding, the parent stock you gave us is only enough for trial planting. Most of the Chinese cabbage seeds are for other companies to propagate."

Ding Jianhui: "..."

The boomerang hitting Ding Jianhui in the face was very painful, but he had to pay the price for his arrogance.

The export situation of Guangzhou's Chinese cabbage seeds is deteriorating, mainly due to the unsatisfactory quality of the seeds.

Take the germination rate as an example. Let alone 93%, it doesn't even meet the export standard of 85%.

Factors affecting germination rate include purity and moisture content, among others.

If the targets set by Peng Qian can be met, the seeds will be of the highest quality, which will benefit seed exports and generate foreign exchange.

At the dinner table, Ding Jianhui was adept at social maneuvering, showing no concern whatsoever about the authenticity of the seeds.

But after returning to work after the meal, he couldn't wait to find someone to verify it.

A few days later, when the results came out, he contacted Chen Jiazhi with a mixture of excitement and helplessness.

"Mr. Chen, could you spare me a few more seeds?"

At this moment, Chen Jiazhi really wanted to say, "I still want to see your unruly side."

(End of this chapter)