Field observation meeting at Xianggongzhuang

On October 21, 2020, we started a trip to Xianggongzhuang village to participate in the field observation meeting.

Xianggongzhuang village has held an Apple Science and Technology Backyard from 2010. Before this STB, farmers only planted food crops such as maize and wheat in rotation. But to unleash their economic potential, these farmers decided to shift over to starting apple orchards with more than 15 different varieties. These apples are produced during summer using green technology so chemical input is substantially reduced.

Fertilizers used are manure from pigs and chickens, pest and diseases are controlled culturally and mechanically by using pest and insects traps. Soil is covered with live mulch such as green grass, and apple ridges are covered with plastic to increase light intensity to give apples more reddish color.