Qincheng Wetland Agricultural Ecological Park

Qincheng Wetland Agricultural Ecological Park

On the west side of Qincheng National Wetland Park, there used to be a low-lying area of over 300 acres. A year ago, Xiao Leping from Qintong Town was still worried about this piece of land, “The crops grown here weren’t even enough to cover the annual cost of drainage.” But now, more than a dozen smart greenhouse sheds stand here. “This is a state-of-the-art agricultural ecological park with a total investment of 120 million yuan, integrating high-efficiency agriculture and leisure tourism. It is one of the best in the province and one of the ten large-scale high-efficiency agricultural bases in Jiangyan.” Xiao Leping said confidently.

Feeding Cucumbers “Milk”

In Greenhouse No. 2 of the ecological park, reporters saw a farmer spraying milk on cucumber plants that had already borne fruit. Wang Guangsheng, a vegetable technology expert from Shouguang, Shandong, who is stationed at the park, explained to the reporters, “Three times a week, we add glucose and 12 kinds of amino acids to the milk and spray it on the cucumber leaves. This not only improves the taste but also enhances the cucumbers’ disease resistance.”

Spraying milk on vegetables is already common abroad, but the practice is still rare in Jiangsu. “At first, when we introduced this technique to the farmers, many were skeptical. But after comparative demonstrations, now all the solar greenhouses in the park use it.” Currently, the park grows five varieties of cucumbers, originating from Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, Israel, and Beijing. There are even eight varieties of tomatoes. The mission of the ecological park is to cultivate high-quality fruit and vegetable varieties from around the world successfully on-site, and then promote them widely locally.

It is understood that the ecological park has over 60 varieties of fruit, melon, and leafy vegetables, most of which are imported from abroad. “Take the Japanese Ichūkyū fruit cucumber, for example—one seed alone costs more than one yuan.” Wang Guangsheng casually picked a cucumber and handed it to a reporter. Since no pesticides are used and the cucumbers are grown indoors without exposure to wind and sand, they can be eaten straight off the vine.

Qintong Watermelon Melons “Stand” Tall

Watermelon melons are a favorite among the people of Qincheng. Locals say watermelons are “stupidly sweet,” but these Qintong watermelon melons are emerald green, long and round in shape, with grooves etched into their surface, offering a mild sweetness and a rich, refreshing aroma.

But for a long time, the yield of Qintong watermelon melons has been low. Wang Guangsheng did the math for the reporters: traditionally, Qintong watermelon melons grew “lying” on the ground—1.5 square meters could only accommodate one plant, yielding two or three melons, amounting to just about 1,000 melons per mu. Now, in the ecological park, through topping and branching techniques, the watermelon melons are “hung” and “stand” upright. Each plant only needs a 30 cm square space, and the yield can reach 12,000 melons per mu.

Taking into account the terrain characteristics of the Lixia River area, the ecological park has also conducted experiments on greenhouse cultivation of aquatic plants. A trench over three meters deep was dug, aquatic plants were planted inside, and then covered with film. Half a month ago, the old water caltrops had already sprouted slender shoots. “Even in the coldest winter, the water temperature here can reach 20 degrees Celsius. If the cultivation succeeds, we’ll be able to eat fragrant water caltrops by May.” Experts from the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Nanjing Agricultural University have shown strong interest, stating that this method has low cultivation costs and high returns. Once successful, it will fill the gap in off-season growth of aquatic vegetables.

One Tomato King Yields Tons of Tomatoes

In the ecological park, reporters also saw the “Tomato King” trees currently under cultivation, which are larger than ordinary tomato plants. It is reported that when the tomatoes mature, one Tomato King tree can produce tons of tomatoes—such “high yield” is likely a marvel in the plant kingdom.

Such “high-yield” vegetables are everywhere in the ecological park. One cucumber plant, if properly tended, can yield 4,000 cucumbers in four months; the American 2188 eggplant variety can yield up to 20,000 kg per mu; pumpkins can grow as heavy as 150 kg...

In addition, visitors can also see unique sights here: a single pot growing five colors of chili peppers, sweet potatoes hanging like grapes from the ceiling of a corridor, and eggplant trees bearing mushrooms... In a few months, this place will not only attract the curious eyes of urban residents, but even lifelong farmers will be amazed. Xiao Leping from Qintong Town said, “From simple steel-frame solar greenhouses to multi-span smart greenhouses, the ecological park has it all. It will become the most intuitive farmer training school. Farmers interested in facility agriculture can find a model that suits them, which has exemplary significance for the development of high-efficiency agriculture.”

Marrying Agriculture with Tourism

After several attempts, the reporters finally got in touch with the owner of the ecological park, Boss Zhou.

Boss Zhou told the reporters that the construction of the ecological park is a project that marries agriculture with tourism, greatly enriching the connotation of Qincheng Wetland tourism. It organically combines the appreciation of the natural scenery of Qincheng Wetland with wetland agriculture, agronomy, and agricultural technology, becoming a true microcosm of high-efficiency agriculture. The future “Qincheng Wetland Ecological Park” will be a leading enterprise, a distribution hub for vegetables and fruits. From image to brand, from the park to every farmer, they will be closely integrated into a cohesive unit, jointly strategizing, developing, and prospering together.

With the second phase of the ecological park, a agricultural product deep processing center will be established, actively creating “landmark” agricultural products to replace traditional tourist souvenirs. Tourism will act as a “broker” for agricultural products, ultimately achieving the goal of selling local agricultural products “nationwide and globally.”

According to Boss Zhou, once the ecological park is fully completed, various cultivation techniques will also be demonstrated. Agronomists in the park will perform grafting feats live for visitors: making pumpkin vines bear cucumbers and bitter melons, and allowing tomatoes and potatoes to grow from the same root. While sightseeing in the ecological park, visitors can pick and taste fresh fruits and vegetables, and also participate in some agricultural science games. The ecological park has invested 2 million yuan to develop a fun quiz machine. Visitors can answer small agricultural knowledge questions via a computer touchscreen, and if they answer correctly, the machine will automatically dispense a few cucumbers or corn cobs as rewards.