Maoxian Apples

Maoxian Apples

Maoxian Apples are a geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Mao County is located in the southeastern part of the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province and is the largest settlement area of the Qiang ethnic group in China, accounting for 30.5% of the total Qiang population nationwide. According to the Old Book of Tang and the Records of Maozhou, Maozhou was “named after the Maoshishan Mountain within the prefectural boundaries,” and this name was used from the Tang Dynasty to the early years of the Republic of China. In 1958, the three counties of Wenchuan, Li County, and Mao County were merged to form the Maoxian Qiang Autonomous County. In 1987, the autonomous county was abolished, but the area remained as Mao County. Therefore, apples produced in the Mao County region have long been called “Maoxian Apples.” The cultivation of Maoxian Apples has a long history. In the late Qing Dynasty, apples were introduced by British missionaries and cultivated in small quantities. According to the Annals of Aba Prefecture and the Annals of the Maoxian Qiang Autonomous County, in the 25th, 28th, and 35th years of the Republic of China (1936, 1939, and 1946), the Chen family of Mao County successively introduced more than a hundred apple saplings from the Sichuan Agricultural Improvement Institute and successfully cultivated them in Mao County. The introduced varieties mainly included Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, and Starkrimson. In the early years after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the Sichuan Western Agricultural Department and faculty and students from the Horticulture Department of Sichuan University conducted a comprehensive survey in Mao County and concluded that the natural and geographical conditions of Mao County were suitable for apple cultivation. In the 1950s, over 50 types of apple rootstocks and varieties were introduced across the county, gradually making it the region with the richest apple variety resources in Southwest China. With the rapid development of the apple industry, state-owned orchards such as Fengyi, Fengmaoping, and Daheba were established in Mao County during the 1950s and 1960s. By 1975, there were 21 township-level orchards across the county, with 500,000 apple trees and an annual yield of around 7 million jin (approximately 3,500 tons). The varieties “Golden Delicious,” “Red Delicious,” and “Starkrimson” were rated the best in the nation four times—in 1963, 1964, 1975, and 1985—and were recognized as top-quality fruits three times. In 1966, the “Red Delicious” and “Starkrimson” varieties sent to the Hong Kong market outperformed America’s “Red Delicious” (commonly known as “Snake Fruit”). In 1974, a national evaluation meeting convened in Beijing by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Fisheries, the Ministry of Foreign Trade, and the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives named the “Starkrimson” and “Golden Delicious” varieties the best in the country. In the early 1980s, the Mao County County Committee and County Government proposed developing the apple industry as a leading sector to invigorate the rural economy. In 1985, Mao County was designated as a national base for high-quality apple commercial production. That same year, the national Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Fisheries, the provincial agriculture department, and the prefectural agriculture bureau invested 1.2 million yuan to build a 500-ton cold storage facility in the county seat. By September 1986, the county's apple storage and preservation capacity exceeded 1 million jin (approximately 500 tons). From the mid-to-late 1990s onward, through the implementation of new technologies such as transforming low-yield orchards, artificial pollination, bagging, graft renewal, and mulching, apple orchards across the county were updated to varying degrees, resulting in steady growth in yield and noticeable improvements in quality. Currently, the planting area of Maoxian Apples has exceeded 25,000 mu, with a yield of 50,000 tons, making it one of the main industries driving income growth for local farmers. The 12th Five-Year Plan outline for agricultural and rural economic development proposed upgrading and transforming 35,000 mu of orchards. Through project implementation, adjustments in fruit variety and maturity period structure will be made, aiming to achieve over 60% of premium and new apple varieties and over 70% of high-quality commercial fruit rate within five years.

　　Geographic Scope

　　Maoxian Apples are produced in Mao County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. The protected geographic indication area includes 21 townships (towns) within Mao County: Nanxin Town, Fengyi Town, Goukou Township, Weimen Township, Yonghe Township, HuiLong Township, Feihong Township, Heihu Township, Sanlong Township, Qugu Township, Yadu Township, Taiping Township, DieXi Town, Shidaguan Township, Songpinggou Township, Wadi Township, Baixi Township, Tumen Township, and Dongxing Township. The geographical coordinates are between 102°56′–104°10′ east longitude and 31°24′–32°17′ north latitude. Mao County is situated in the northwest of Sichuan Province and the southeast of the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture. It borders Beichuan, Anxian, and Mianzhu counties to the east, connects with Shifang, Pengzhou, and Wenchuan counties to the south, adjoins Li County and Heishui to the west, and lies adjacent to Songpan County to the north. The protected area covers 96,000 mu, with an annual yield of 192,000 tons.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　(1) External Sensory Features: Maoxian Apples are medium-sized, short-cylindrical fruits with a yellow base color on the skin, covered with patchy or streaky pink blush, and have small and sparse lenticels. The calyx cavity is narrow, deep, and slightly ridged, with persistent sepals and a thin stem. The core is relatively large, with small seeds—five locules, each containing 1–2 seeds. The flesh is yellow-white, crisp in texture, rich and purely sweet in flavor, aromatic, with moderate juice content. (2) Internal Quality Indicators: Maoxian Apples have an edible rate of ≥80%, soluble solids content of ≥11%, are rich in vitamin C, have high hardness, and are suitable for long-term storage. (3) Safety Requirements: They meet the quality requirements of the NY5011-2006 standard for “Pollution-Free Pome Fruits.”