Hainan’s Durian Trees Start To Flower

According to local media in Hainan, the island province’s durian trees are currently blossoming. In 2015, the Hainan Baoting Huasheng Rambutan Plantation planted more than 40 durian trees for the purpose of landscaping. However, in 2019, these durian trees blossomed and produced fruit, which attracted widespread attention. Since then, the trees have been harvested for three consecutive years and the plantation has expanded its durian planting area to 200 mu (33 acres).

At present, there are 40 fruit-bearing durian trees in the plantation. High-yielding trees can produce a harvest of 30 durians each. According to the plantation’s estimates, the yield is expected to reach 1,500–2,500 kilograms per mu after full-scale production.

As early as 1958, attempts were made to introduce durians to Hainan from Malaysia, but only one fruit was ever produced. In the 1970s and 1980s, durians were introduced into Guangdong and Hainan provinces, but only a few cases of flowering and fruiting were reported. Because research institutes were generally of the view that Hainan was unsuitable for durian production, neither agricultural researchers nor private enterprises considered furthering attempting durian production in the province for several decades.

However, this all changed in 2019 when the durian trees introduced at the Baoting plantation successfully bore fruit, arousing the interest of growers. According to the Institute of Tropical Fruit Trees at the Hainan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the durian industry in Hainan has developed rapidly in recent years. Several cities and counties on the southern side of the island, including Baoting, Sanya, Ledong and Lingshui, have expanded from sporadic planting to farms of modest scale, with the total planting area now standing at more than 30,000 mu (4,942 acres).

The durian trees currently planted in Hainan were introduced from Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and other places, and the adaptability, yield and fruit quality of these varieties have yet to be tested. Experts from the Institute of Tropical Fruit Trees have suggested that imported seedlings should be studied to screen for high-quality varieties that are suitable for planting in Hainan. A plantation with nurseries and other support facilities should then be established to formulate durian seedling standards and develop a healthy breeding program for organized planting and production.

Image: Pixabay

This article was translated from Chinese. Read the original article.