Fengkai Honey Date

Fengkai Honey Date

　　The Honey Date is a late-maturing variety of Taiwanese green jujube, scientifically known as Ziziphus mauritiana, a evergreen small tree that was developed through multiple generations of selective breeding by Taiwanese breeders from the Indian jujube. It is an excellent fruit variety. The Honey Date can bloom from June to November, but flowers that bloom before August generally have difficulty setting fruit. The normal fruit ripening period is from January to March of the following year. The fruit is oblong-oval in shape, large in size, with individual fruits weighing between 80–150 grams. It has thick flesh and a small seed, with an edible rate of around 95%. According to measurements: every 100 grams of fresh fruit pulp contains 18–23 grams of carbohydrates, 50–85 milligrams of vitamin C, and soluble solids content of 15%–17%. In addition, it also contains trace elements such as phosphorus, calcium, iron, potassium, and zinc. The Honey Date is crisp, sweet, and virtually fiber-free, offering an excellent taste and top-quality texture. Its skin is smooth and it has an attractive appearance. The market price generally ranges from 10 to 16 yuan per kilogram, and it enjoys good market demand.

　　The Honey Date grows rapidly and features early yields, high and stable production. Its economic lifespan can exceed 30 years. Grafted seedlings are planted at a density of 45–66 plants per mu, and can bloom and bear fruit in the same year, achieving continuous high yields with almost no significant alternate bearing. Harvesting can begin after just 9 months of planting, with fresh dates available on the market from late October to March of the following year, yielding 500–700 kilograms per mu in the first year and 800–1500 kilograms in the second year. By the fourth year, it enters the peak production period, yielding 4500–6000 kilograms per mu. The Honey Date matures in winter, and its harvest period lasts 3–4 months, avoiding competition with other fruits. It is also relatively convenient to store and transport, remaining fresh for over 10 days at room temperature and over 30 days when kept in cold storage. It can be easily transported and sold across the country, not only enjoying large sales volumes but also commanding higher prices.

　　The Honey Date performs exceptionally well when planted in tropical and subtropical regions with an average annual temperature above 18°C. The optimal growth temperature range is 20–35°C. It exhibits strong adaptability to soil types and can grow in various soils including sandy soil, gravel soil, clay, and loam, with a pH range of 6.0–7.5 being suitable. Fengkai County is located within a subtropical monsoon climate zone, enjoying warm weather year-round, abundant sunlight, an average annual temperature of 20.9°C, rich water resources, and plentiful rainfall, making it highly suitable for growing Honey Dates.

　　The Honey Date is currently the third-generation new variety promoted in Taiwan and is considered the finest among jujube fruits. Our county introduced the cultivation of Honey Dates in 2012, and it is now in its third year of planting, demonstrating significant economic benefits and strong enthusiasm among farmers. The main characteristics of the Honey Date include a high fruit-setting rate, large size—with individual fruits typically weighing between 100–200 grams—and a higher sweetness level compared to ordinary green jujubes. Both unripe and overripe fruits are extremely sweet and crisp, it is quite resistant to storage and transport, and does not easily degenerate. It contains genetic traits from peaches, pears, apples, and olives, making it extremely popular in the market. If fresh dates cannot be sold, they can also be processed into dried dates or candied dates for sale, greatly extending the sales period and eliminating worries for fruit farmers. Typically, fruit trees take about 4 to 5 years from planting to reaching peak production, whereas the Honey Date is a “short,” “simple,” and “fast” tropical fruit variety that yields in the same year it is planted. It is highly adaptable and easy to grow. It can survive temperatures as low as minus 5 to minus 10 degrees Celsius without plant death, and does not shed leaves even at 40 degrees Celsius. The optimal growth temperature is 15–32 degrees Celsius, and it is not demanding in terms of soil—slopes, hills, dry land, paddy fields, or areas around houses can all be used for planting. However, land with convenient irrigation and drainage, fertile and deep soil, and ample sunlight is even better.

　　Due to the impact of wind damage and pests and diseases, the surface of Honey Dates often bears many scars or rust spots, which significantly reduces their commercial value. Currently, bagging is recognized as one of the effective cultivation measures to improve fruit quality. Bagging helps enhance the external appearance of Honey Date fruits, but to some extent, it also affects their internal quality and reduces fruit flavor. After long-term trials, it has been found that using colorless transparent film bags can significantly increase the individual fruit weight of Honey Dates while having almost no impact on their internal quality.