Tongxin Potatoes

Tongxin Potatoes

Tongxin Potatoes are a product recognized with a Geographical Indication for Agricultural Products.

　　Geographic Scope

　　Tongxin County is located in the central-southern part of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. It lies between longitude 105°17′–106°41′ east and latitude 36°34′–37°32′ north, bordering Yanchi County to the northeast, neighboring Huan County of Gansu Province (provincial border) to the southeast, adjacent to Guyuan County to the south, connected to Haiyuan and Zhongwei counties to the west, and touching Zhongning, Hongsibu, and other areas to the north. The county stretches 102 km from north to south and reaches up to 135 km in width from east to west. It belongs to the central arid belt of Ningxia. Situated at the junction of the Loess Plateau and the Inner Mongolia Plateau, Tongxin’s terrain gradually slopes from south to north (higher in the south, lower in the north). Elevations range from 1,260 to 2,625 meters, with the county seat sitting at an altitude of 1,344 meters. The specific geographic location of Tongxin Potatoes is along the Huiping Highway within the county, covering towns such as Xiamaguan, Yuwang, Magaozhuang, Zhangjiayuan, Tianlaozhuang, and Wangtuan. These areas comprise 112 administrative villages, with a total production area of 20,000 hectares and an annual output of 300,000 metric tons.

　　Natural Ecological Environment and Humanistic Historical Factors

　　(1) Soil and Topography: Tongxin County is situated at the junction of the western Ordos Plateau and the northern Loess Plateau, with a terrain that slopes from south to north. The region features surrounding mountains, continuous hills, crisscrossing gullies, and flat plains, forming a complex and diverse topography. The soils here are relatively complex, with a variety of soil types, among which black loam (Heilu soil) and calcareous gray soil (Huiguang soil) are the most extensive. Black loam is distributed in the loess hilly areas of the southeast, with loess as its parent material. Its organic matter layer averages 55 cm in thickness, is loose and porous, has a uniform texture, and consists of light or medium loam rich in coarse silt particles. It has good water and fertilizer retention properties, making it one of the more fertile soils in the county.

　　(2) Hydrology: Tongxin County is located in an arid mountainous area, with a gully density of 2.4–4.3 km per km².

　　Surface water is scarce. The county’s surface water is divided between the Qingshui River and Kushui River basins. Within Tongxin County, the Qingshui River has four major tributaries: Shuangjingzigou, Zhesigou, Jinjiergou, and Changshahé. Among these, Zhesigou is the largest tributary of the Qingshui River basin in the county. Groundwater is mostly deeply buried, with limited distribution, small quantities, poor quality, and uneven availability, aside from scattered natural springs in some local areas.

　　(3) Climate: The southern part of Tongxin County has a mid-temperate semi-arid continental climate, while the northern part has a mid-temperate arid continental climate. The main characteristics include low rainfall and high evaporation, distinct cold and warm, dry and wet seasons, well-defined four seasons, long sunshine duration, strong solar radiation, short summers and autumns, and long winters and springs. The multi-year average sunshine duration is 3,024 hours. The average daily temperature range is 31.2°C. The total cultivated land area is 2.054 million mu, with deep soil layers rich in potassium—an ideal soil composition for potato growth. The county’s annual average temperature is 8.4°C, with an average frost-free period of 157 days, and an average annual precipitation of 277.9 mm, mostly concentrated in July to September. This matches the water demand pattern of potato growth, providing naturally superior conditions for potato production.

　　(4) Humanistic and Historical Background: Tongxin has a long history and rich cultural heritage. Since ancient times, humans have lived and thrived here. The county has been known by various names over time, including Zhenrong, Pingyuan, and Tongxin. In 1936, during the Long March, the Red Army arrived in Tongxin and established the first Hui autonomous political power in Chinese history—the Hui Autonomous Government of Yu Hai County, Shaan-Gan-Ning Province—pioneering the practice of regional ethnic autonomy in China. The historic meeting of the three main forces of the Red Army also took place in Tongxin, marking a glorious chapter in the history of the Chinese revolution. According to the "Pingyuan County Annals" compiled by Chen Rixin, the Qing Dynasty magistrate of Pingyuan, local crop cultivation mainly included wheat, millet, and potatoes, with potatoes being both a vegetable and staple food, and having a planting history of over a hundred years at that time. Through years of effort, the county has largely established commercial potato production bases centered around towns such as Yuwang and Xiamaguan.

　　Production Technical Requirements

　　(1) Origin Selection: The six towns of Xiamaguan, Yuwang, Magaozhuang, Zhangjiayuan, Tianlaozhuang, and Wangtuan must have origin environmental quality that meets the requirements of the "Non-Environmental Pollution Vegetable Origin Environmental Conditions" (NT/5010-2002).

　　(2) Variety Selection: For table-use potatoes, varieties such as Kexin No.1, Hutou, and Dutch No.7 are chosen; for late-maturing export potatoes, varieties like Qingshu No.168 and Taiwan Red Skin are selected; for starch-processing potatoes, varieties such as Ningshu No.8, Ningshu No.9, Neishu No.7, Longshu No.3, and Qingshu No.2 are used.

　　(3) Production Process Management: The production process of Tongxin Potatoes must comply with the "Non-Environmental Pollution Potato Production Operation Procedures" (NY5221-2004).

　　(4) Product Harvesting and Post-Harvest Handling: Harvesting is done when the above-ground stems and leaves have all turned yellow and tuber expansion has ceased, timed appropriately for fresh market sale, delivery, or storage. One week before harvest, the vines are killed. Freshly harvested potatoes are first spread out to fully air-dry until their skins become suberized before transportation or storage.

　　(5) Production Record Requirements: The entire production process of Tongxin Potatoes requires the establishment of field production records, which should be comprehensively documented and properly preserved for future reference.

　　Product Typical Quality Characteristics and Quality Safety Standards

　　(1) External Sensory Characteristics: Tongxin Potatoes have a regular shape, uniform size, smooth and clean skin, and good commercial appearance.

　　(2) Internal Quality Indicators: Tongxin Potatoes accumulate high levels of dry matter and starch, offering superior quality. Each 100 grams of tuber contains 75–82 grams of moisture, 17.5 grams of starch, 1.0 gram of sugar, 2.0 grams of crude protein, as well as various vitamins.

　　(3) Safety Requirements: Tongxin Potatoes comply with the "Non-Environmental Pollution Potato" (NY5221-2004) standards.

　　Packaging, Labeling, and Related Regulations

　　Mainly in accordance with the "Agricultural Product Packaging and Labeling Management Measures," promoting scientific packaging methods and advanced labeling technologies to achieve traceability management. Additionally, tailored to the characteristics of Tongxin Potatoes, the region is gradually implementing measures such as graded product packaging for market, underground cold storage preservation, and refrigerated transport. Storage and transport follow the "Green Food Storage and Transport Guidelines" (NY/T1056-2006).