Yichang discovers a new variety of navel orange - Zongcheng

By Shen Yuan, Yichang International Communication Studio

"This is a new variety, with a particularly delicate taste," said Wang Honglin of Zigui County's Wangjialin Village, as the farmer was packing the new variety of navel orange - Zongcheng.

 

Citrus is a key industry for Zigui County with different varieties of oranges being picked and sold in the market year round. In spring, Lunwan. In summer, Xiacheng. In autumn, Jiuyuehong. In winter, Niuheer and Xuecheng.
 

"Zongcheng is a bud variation of Lunwan. Many characteristics of Zongcheng and Lunwan are consistent, but they differ in skin color. Zongcheng has a unique clear and light fragrance," said Cao Lixin, deputy director of Zigui County Citrus Seed Breeding Center.

 

Zongcheng was named after the Chinese pronunciation of “loyal” (Zhong Cheng). 

 

In 2017, the center’s technicians discovered brown-skinned navel oranges in Xiangjiadian Village.

 

"Is it caused by a pest or disease?" "Is there any food value?" With many questions, they began to experiment. They took branches and grafted them in nearby villages. They found the oranges to still grow with a brown skin.

 

A farmer harvesting Zongcheng. Photo by Mei Wenqian 

"It was found to be the result of genetic factors rather than environmental factors," said Cao, who reported the discovery to Deng Xiuxin, China’s top citrus fruit expert and a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Deng led a research team at Central China Agricultural University, based in Wuhan.

 

Dr. Zhu Kaijie, from Deng's research group, visited Zigui to analyze the brown peel phenotype and its main characteristics. He found it to be caused by a genetic mutation.

 

Deng’s team is helping Zigui farmers in solving key problems related to Zongcheng, such as fruit dropping during winter and a low proportion of high-quality fruits. Once these issues are solved, farmers will begin planting Zongcheng on a large scale.