Junan Chestnuts

Junan Chestnuts

Junan chestnuts are a geographical indication certification trademark.

Junan chestnuts are a geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Junan chestnuts, a renowned specialty of Junan County in Shandong Province, are a nationally protected geographical indication agricultural product of China. Located in a low mountainous and hilly region, Junan County enjoys concurrent rainfall and heat in the same season, cool and refreshing autumns, and fertile soil rich in nutrients—ideal conditions for chestnut cultivation. The county ranks first in chestnut production across Shandong and has been designated as a national demonstration base for high-yield, high-efficiency, and high-quality chestnut cultivation. The chestnuts produced here are large, brightly colored, smooth and glossy, with tender, fine, yellowish flesh that is sweet and delicious, earning them the reputation of “waxy fragrant chestnuts.” They are exported to countries and regions such as Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan, where they are highly favored by customers.

　　In 1993, it was designated as a national demonstration base for high-yield, high-efficiency, and high-quality chestnut cultivation. [Management. Figure 1: Junan Chestnut Planting Base]

　　.The production level is leading in China.. In March 2000, it was named the “Hometown of Chestnuts—National Famous, Special, and High-Quality Economic Forest” by the State Forestry Administration and the China Economic Forest Association. In 2006, “Junan Chestnuts” were certified as a “Green Food—Product” by the China Green Food Development Center. Several Party and state leaders have visited the central production area of Junan chestnuts, Zhushan Town, for inspections and have spoken highly of the region. It has also been designated as a “National High-Yield and High-Quality Demonstration Base County for Dry Fruits” and a “Shandong Chestnut Production Base County.” The county’s project “Chestnut Variety Breeding and Export-Oriented Branded Product Base Construction” won the second prize for scientific and technological progress in Shandong Province. In 2002, the “Zhuyu” brand chestnuts were recognized as “High-Quality Products” by the China Economic Forest Association, and in 2006, the “Zhuyu” brand Junan chestnuts were certified as green food by the China Green Food Development Center.

　　Historical Background

　　The cultivation of Junan chestnuts has a long history. The Revised Chronicles of Junan records: “The larger ones are called chestnuts; those with smaller fruits in a single shell are the original species of chestnuts, referred to as trees, and their fruits are called thatch chestnuts,” proving that wild chestnut trees have existed in Junan for a long time. Compared to the mountainous areas of central Shandong and other northern chestnut-producing regions, Junan’s geography, climate, and soil are more suitable for the growth and development of chestnut trees. Charred chestnut fruits excavated from the Western Han Dynasty tombs at Yinqueshan in Linyi confirm that as early as the 1st–3rd century BCE during the Western Han period, chestnut trees were widely planted in the Junan area. According to the Chronicles of Junan County, in the early 21st century, Junan County had over 3,000 chestnut trees aged more than 300 years, while chestnut trees over 600 years old are extremely rare in China. A 2010 survey found that in Zhushan Town, Junan, there is a “Chestnut King” tree standing 15 meters tall, with a circumference of about 3 meters and a crown diameter of approximately 16 meters, still yielding dozens of pounds of chestnuts each year. According to the genealogy of the Chen family, the Chens migrated here and established the village in the 14th century (late Yuan Dynasty), after which they extensively planted chestnut trees.

　　Growing Environment

　　Junan County is located in the southeastern part of Shandong Province, at the border with Jiangsu, in a low mountainous and hilly region with fertile soil suitable for chestnut production. It has a warm temperate monsoon semi-humid continental climate with distinct seasons: cold and dry winters with little snow, dry and windy springs, hot and rainy summers, and cool, refreshing autumns with large diurnal temperature variations, all of which are conducive to the accumulation of nutrients in chestnut nuts.

　　Variety Characteristics

　　Junan chestnuts are large, uniform in size, thin-skinned and easy to peel, brightly colored, and sweet in taste. After long-term production testing and selection, the three main varieties widely cultivated in the early 21st century are Yufeng, Shifeng, and Likang. In particular, the Likang variety, which has independent intellectual property rights, features rapid canopy expansion, early fruiting, high and stable yields, and bears fruit in the second year after grafting. The nuts are aesthetically pleasing, large in size, with excellent commercial traits, good texture when roasted, strong waxy mouthfeel, and superior internal quality. They are drought-resistant, tolerant of poor soils, suitable for planting in hilly orchards, and resistant to chestnut rot disease and red spider mite damage. This variety was approved by the Shandong Provincial Forestry Variety Approval Committee in December 2005 and has since been widely planted in other chestnut-producing regions in China. “Junan chestnuts” are highly nutritious. They contain 51%–60% starch, 5.7%–0.7% protein, 2%–7.4% fat, as well as abundant cellulose, carotene, vitamins A, B, C, and elements such as phosphorus, potassium, calcium, zinc, and selenium, with up to 98% of the nutrients being absorbable and utilizable by the human body. Cooked Junan chestnuts can benefit qi and blood, nourish the stomach, kidneys, liver, and spleen; eating them raw can also alleviate soreness in the waist and legs and promote circulation. Junan chestnuts are of high nutritional value.

　　Production Situation

　　Junan County is a chestnut production base county in Shandong Province, with chestnuts being a major economic tree species. Since 1990, the county has formulated a 10-year development plan to cultivate 400,000 mu (approximately 26,667 hectares) of chestnuts, implemented a target responsibility system for chestnut production, fully promoted contracted chestnut orchard management, and established and improved a three-tier (county, township, village) science and technology extension network. In 1995, the Junan County Government formulated the “Junan County Standardized Management Procedures for Chestnuts,” unifying planning and technical standards for chestnut production and achieving comprehensive development of mountains, rivers, fields, and roads, ensuring road access, water supply, electricity, and livestock farming to every orchard (“four accesses to orchards”). By 2002, the county had 53 high-quality chestnut varieties, with an application rate of 98.8% for superior varieties, a planting area of 410,000 mu, and an annual output of 35.84 million kilograms. In 2008, the cultivated varieties expanded to include high-quality ones such as “Yanshan Hong,” “Yanqing,” “Yanquan,” and “Shifeng,” achieving 100% coverage of high-quality chestnut varieties. “Junan chestnuts” are produced to a high standard of standardization. Junan has undertaken over 10 national, provincial, and municipal chestnut science and technology projects, obtaining eight provincial and ministerial-level scientific and technological achievements, including the “Chestnut Variety Breeding and Export-Oriented Branded Product Base Construction” project, which won the second prize for scientific and technological progress in Shandong Province. A complete set of “Junan chestnut” cultivation techniques has gradually been developed, along with a stable production team and a network-based technology extension model. Shandong Lurun Food Co., Ltd., the largest chestnut processing enterprise in China, had its chestnut products rated as “Shandong Provincial Famous Products” and “Shandong High-Quality Agricultural (Forestry) Products” in 2006. In August 2008, it was awarded the title of “National Key Leading Enterprise” in agricultural industrialization. Under the leadership of this enterprise, Junan County has built one large-scale chestnut trading market, six large and medium-sized deep-processing enterprises, and over 300 small-scale primary processing sites, achieving an annual chestnut trading volume of 16,000 tons and annual sales revenue of 300 million yuan. Deep-processed products are exported to Japan, South Korea, Europe, the United States, Canada, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. The “Yimeng Lurun” series of deep-processed chestnut products has become a well-known brand in the food industry, with annual export earnings of 20 million US dollars.

　　Geographical Indication

　　In accordance with the “Administrative Measures for Geographical Indications of Agricultural Products,” after preliminary review, expert evaluation, and public announcement, Junan chestnuts met the procedures and conditions for registration as a geographical indication of agricultural products. On April 2, 2010, the Ministry of Agriculture of the People’s Republic of China officially issued the Registration Certificate for the Geographical Indication of Agricultural Products of the People’s Republic of China.

　　Geographic Scope

　　The protected geographic scope of Junan chestnuts is within Junan County, Shandong Province. The geographical coordinates are: 118°33′–119°11′ east longitude and 35°06′–35°24′ north latitude, spanning 44 km from north to south and 50 km from east to west, covering a protected area of 161,700 hectares, with a production area of 16,667 hectares, an annual output of 16,000 tons, and a production value of 300 million yuan. The average elevation of Junan County is 200 m, with the highest point being Maqi Mountain in the northern part of the county at an elevation of 662.2 m, and the lowest point being in front of Chenjiahe Village in Zhuanggang Town at an elevation of 19.9 m. The main production areas of Junan chestnuts are located in 16 towns within the county, including Zhushan, Xianggou, Luzhen, Xiangdi, Fangqian, Zhuanggang, Pingshang, Zhulu, Laopo, Shilianzi, and Wentuan, encompassing a total of 654 administrative villages at elevations above 100 m. The overall topography of Junan County is higher in the east and lower in the west, with the eastern part sloping from north to south and extending southeast and southwest in a ridgeline pattern. The area is primarily composed of low mountains and hills, as an extension of the Laoshan–Wulian mountain range. There are significant elevation differences within the county, forming various microclimatic zones. The current vegetation is mainly crops, accounting for about 66% of the county’s total area, with a forest coverage rate of over 30%, and a land area of 1,752 square kilometers.