Jiang'an Summer Orange

Jiang'an Summer Orange

Jiang'an Summer Orange is a product with geographical indication.

　　Summer orange is a premium sweet orange variety, classified as an off-season citrus. It features bright colors, a yellowish hue with red undertones, abundant juice, tender texture, and a well-balanced sweet-and-sour flavor. Rich in various vitamins and fructose, each fruit weighs between 0.12 to 0.15 kilograms, with the largest reaching up to 0.3 kilograms. Suitable for both fresh consumption and processing, the trees bloom in early April each year, with a one-month flowering period; the fruits remain on the tree throughout winter and ripen in late April of the following year. A unique characteristic is that the fruit ripening period coincides with the flowering and young fruit development stages. During spring and summer, tens of thousands of acres of orchards are filled with the fragrance of blossoms and fruits, creating a spectacular scene resembling “a sea of flowers and a world of fruits.”

　　Summer orange is a signature industry of Jiang'an County with a long planting history dating back to 1943, making it 66 years old. Introduced from California, USA, by Professor Zhang Wenxiang, known as the “Father of Summer Orange” from Southwest Agricultural University, the variety thrived due to the favorable climate and has since become a major representative fruit of Jiang'an. Several elite strains, such as “Jiang'an Summer Orange No. 35” and “Seedless Summer Orange,” have been cultivated and are widely used in production. Jiang'an Summer Orange is not only recognized as a high-quality fruit in Sichuan Province and by the Ministry of Agriculture, but also as a famous brand product at the China International Agricultural Fair. Currently, the county has 70,000 mu of summer orange cultivation area, with a total annual output of 30,000 tons, making it a key production base for late-maturing sweet oranges—summer oranges—in China. It has been designated by the Ministry of Agriculture as an advantageous region for sweet orange development. The produce is exported to Russia, Hong Kong, Guangdong, Shanghai, Chengdu, and other regions, receiving high praise from consumers.

　　Jiang'an Summer Orange

　　Production Area

　　Jiang'an Summer Orange is produced in Jiang'an County, Yibin City, Sichuan Province. The protected geographical indication area includes 15 towns and 3 townships under the jurisdiction of Jiang'an County, covering 297 administrative villages. These are: Jiang'an Town, Tongzi Town, Shuiqing Town, Simianshan Town, Tieqing Town, Ying'an Town, Jingkou Town, Yangchun Town, Yile Town, Liugeng Town, Xijia Mountain Town, Dipeng Town, Dajing Town, Hongqiao Town, WuKuang Town, Panlong Township, Damao Township, and Renhe Township. The geographical coordinates span from 104°57′40″ to 105°14′33″ east longitude and 28°22′20″ to 28°56′45″ north latitude. The region borders Jiangyang District and Naxi District of Luzhou City to the east, Xingwen County to the south, Nanxi County and Changning County to the west, and Fushun County of Zigong City to the north. The protected area spans 200,000 mu, with an annual output of 300,000 tons.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　(1) External Sensory Quality: Jiang'an Summer Oranges are medium-sized, sub-globose to short elliptical in shape, with orange-colored rinds that are relatively thin and of medium coarseness. The flesh is orange to deep orange, fine-textured, juicy, tender, with a well-balanced sweet-and-sour taste, rich flavor, and aromatic. Most are seedless or have very few seeds. The overall quality is superior. (2) Internal Quality Indicators: Soluble solids content is ≥11%, with abundant vitamin C. (3) Safety Requirements: Compliant with the standards of “Pollution-Free Citrus Fruits” NY5014-2005.