Quote:Three main factors contribute to low yield . . . young trees do not bear as early as they
should. . . alternate bearing is a serious problem . . . non-uniform trees exist in orchards.

Present Status and Problems of Apple Production in China

Zhang Jianguang1 and Bruce H. Barritt2
1 Agriculture University of Hebei, China, and 2 Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center,
Washington State University, Wenatchee, WA 98801

Apple is the most important fruit crop in China with the largest acreage and production of all
fruit species.Apple production has played an important role in Chinese agriculture and the
national economy.In recent years, it has developed rapidly in both acreage and annual
production and, in many fruit-growing areas, it has become an economically important local
industry.As the domestic market transforms from bulk selling to consumer purchases, apple
quality is improving considerably and apple export is increasing.

ACREAGE AND DISTRIBUTION
Based on national statistics, the total orchard acreage was 7,260,000 ha (17,939,000 acres) in
1994.Of this, 2,690,000 ha (6,647,000 acres) were apple, ranking Chinese apple production first
in the world.In 1996, the total acreage of apple in China grew to 2,987,000 ha (7,380,877 acres)
(Table 1).Recently, 1996 to 1998 average, acreage was 3,677,697 ha (Table 2).

Apple production is important in many provinces, particularly in four geographical districts
(Table 1).The Bohai Gulf apple-growing region, including Hebei, Shandong and Liaoning
provinces, is the largest with 53% of the acreage (Figure 1).The other districts of importance are
the Northwest Loess region (29%) (provinces of Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu), Yellow River Basin
region (12%) (provinces of Henan, Jiansu, Anhui), and Southwest Plateau region (3%)
(provinces of Guizhou, Sichuan).The nine most important provinces in production (1996 to
1998 average) in descending order are Shandong (1/3 of the total production), Shaanxi, Hebei,
Liaoning, Henan, Gansu, Shanxi, Anhui and Jiansu (Figure 1).

MAIN APPLE-GROWING REGIONS
Bohai Gulf
The Bohai Gulf region falls between 35º and 45º N latitude.It has relatively wet summers with
annual precipitation of 650 to 800 mm (26 to 32 inches).The annual average temperature is 9 to
13ºC (48 to 55ºF) with mean temperatures≥22ºC (72ºF) during June to August and high night
temperatures.The frost-free period is 200 days.Autumn is cool and dry (September to
October).Soils are brown and most suitable for growing apples.Late-ripening cultivars in this
region have high soluble solids and firmness with long storage life.

Northwest Loess
The northwest loess region is at a higher elevation, has lower night temperatures than in the
Bohai Gulf region in summer and is relatively dry.The daily temperature extremes are larger
with annual average temperature 9 to 11ºC (48 to 52ºF) and mean temperatures during June to
August of 21 to 22.5ºC (70 to 72.5ºF).The frost-free period is 195 to 200 days.Annual
precipitation is 572 to 664 mm (22.5 to 26 inches).The region has strong ultraviolet sunlight
and brown yellow fine loess soils.Most cultivars produce top-quality fruit and high yields.

YellowRiver Basin
Yellow River Basin south of Shandong Province has high day and night temperatures.Annual
average temperature is 13 to 15ºC (55 to 59ºF) with a mean>25ºC (77ºF) during June to August.
The frost-free period is 200 to 210 days.It is wet in summer and annual precipitation can be
excessive and unfavorable for tree growth and fruit ripening.Soils are mainly yellow, moist and
sandy or grit brown.

Southwest Plateau
Southwest plateau is a mountainous zone in central China.Annual average temperature is 11.6
to 19.6ºC (53 to 67ºF) with average temperatures in July of 18.6 to 28.7ºC (65 to 84ºF).Annual
precipitation is 467 to 1422 mm (18 to 56 inches) and the frost-free period is approximately
200 days.Soils are red, yellow and yellowish-brown.The plateau zone has higher air
temperatures than the other regions, cool and wet summers, high annual precipitation, a long
growing season for apple trees and no freeze injury in winter.

PRODUCTION
China has ranked first in world apple production for many years (Table 2).Total production was
11,200,000 metric tons (MT) in 1994, 14,010,000 MT in 1995, and 17,052,000 MT in 1996.
Production increased rapidly with 1994 production 3.9 times that of 1978, nearly a 10% growth
rate per year.In recent years, the output has increased by 2 to 3 million MT every year due to
improvements in growing techniques and the large number of young trees coming into bearing.
Because there are so many young trees (30% to 40%), it can be predicted that the total
production will increase further.Moreover, the increase will appear mainly in newly planted
regions in the near future.

CULTIVARS
The cultivars grown at present in China originated in the USA or were introduced from other
countries, although there are a few cultivars native to China.In the 1950s and 1960s, the main
cultivars were Ralls Janet, Jonathan and Baldwin.In the 1970s and 1980s, Ralls Janet, Golden
Delicious and Delicious became the main cultivars.In 1980s, several new cultivars were
introduced from United States, Japan and New Zealand, and these have been planted in the main
apple-growing regions.

At present the range of cultivars in new plantings is similar to the rest of the world, with the most
important being Fuji, Starkrimson Delicious, and Jonagold.These cultivars have played an
important role and will have a far-reaching effect on the Chinese apple industry.For example,
the growing area for Fuji reached 1,305,000 ha (3,225,000 acres) in 1996 with total output of
6 million MT (approximately 310 million 42-lb boxes).Fuji accounts for 43% of the area and
35% of the production.Furthermore, these new cultivars possess potential marketing advantages
in both quality and quantity.In combination these three varieties occupy 70% of the total
acreage.

A few new cultivars bred in China have been planted.One of these is Qinguan which has been
planted on a large scale in Shaanxi, Shanxi and Hebei provinces.Qinguan bears early, with large
fruit, strong red color and is very easy to manage.Its shortcoming is inferior flavor.Selling will
surely be difficult in the future as many new, high quality cultivars are introduced.Qinguan
acreage will decrease with time.The number of other new cultivars being tried is numerous, but
the acreage of each is very limited.There still exist some fruit quality and production problems

in the cultivars being developed or popularized currently no matter whether they were bred
domestically or introduced from abroad.It is, therefore, necessary to breed new cultivars to meet
future market needs.

TRADITIONALGROWING TECHNIQUES
Apple growing has been an industry for many centuries in China, although the native cultivars
are seldom seen today.Through long-term accumulation of growing experiences, many cultural
systems have developed.In recent years, these traditional practices have been, more or less,
changed.

Ground Cover Management
Clean-cultivation is most commonly used in China.Grass sod between rows is very limited due
to the lack of available water.Several grass species have been selected which proved suitable to
the climates and soils in some districts of China.In some arid hilly orchards, mulching is
practiced by many growers.Digging deeply (using a spade to 60 to 80 cm [24 to 32 inches]) is
still a common practice in autumn but, in some cases, also in spring or summer.

Hilly orchards are common in China and they are usually terraced or have contour plantings to
prevent soil erosion.

Most small orchards still manually remove weeds, but some larger orchards are beginning to use
herbicides.

Fertilization
Nutrients are typically applied according to growing stage and age of apple trees.For mature
trees, there are generally four times for soil-applied fertilization:1) early spring before bud
break (in late March), usually nitrogen; 2) young fruit setting stage (in mid-May), usually a
mixture of nitrogen and phosphorous; 3) fruit swell stage (from mid-July to late-August), usually
a fertilizer with N, P, and K; 4) fall-applied basic organic manure (from mid-September to late-
October) of various types incorporated into the soils.

Amount of fertilizer needed is mainly based on experiences in different districts.The basic
principle is to resupply the nutrients taken from the soil by trees, i.e., yield and growth determine
the amount needed.Although diagnosis of nutrients is feasible through leaf analysis, its
application is very limited because of the expense and limited availability of formulated
fertilizers.In addition, foliar application of elements is often used, sometimes alone and
sometimes mixed with pesticides.

Irrigation
In most orchards, there is insufficient water for irrigation.This negatively affects both yield and
quality.Many orchards are non-irrigated.In irrigated orchards, the frequency of irrigation is
usually limited to four to six times per year, which should match the times for fertilization.In
apple-growing regions in China, spring drought is a serious problem requiring more irrigation at
that time.

Flood and ditch irrigation are commonly used in China and drip and sprinkler irrigation are
limited because of higher costs and purity of water.In recent years, a new kind of irrigation,
permeating irrigation, has developed in China and has broad application because of its easy