Jiayin Wood Ear

Jiayin Wood Ear

Jiayin Wood Ear is a product with geographical indication.

　　Development History of Jiayin Wood Ear: Jiayin County is located in the heart of the Lesser Khingan Mountains, with abundant forests and mountains, possessing unique resource and geographical advantages for cultivating black wood ear. Before the late 1970s, Jiayin’s black wood ear products were mostly wild, with very low yields. From the early 1980s to the late 1990s, it was the log cultivation stage, with an average annual yield of around 500 tons. Since 2000, with the implementation of the “Natural Forest Protection Project” (Tianbao Project), Jiayin County adapted to the situation and focused on bag-cultivated black wood ear as a pillar industry for enriching the people. Support for the bag-cultivation industry was strengthened, which led to rapid development. After years of growth, the number of black wood ear bags in Jiayin County increased dramatically from 50,000 in 1998 to 46.54 million in 2015. Cultivating black wood ear has become a truly prosperous industry for the county. Out of 73 administrative villages, nearly 50 grow black wood ear, including 15 villages producing over 1 million bags, 12 over 500,000 bags, 6 over 300,000 bags, and 33 specialized large households producing over 100,000 bags, showing a positive development trend. The rise of the black wood ear industry has also influenced and driven the development of related sectors. Jiayin’s wood ears are praised both domestically and internationally for their thick flesh, large size, good color, rich nutrition, and delicious taste. In 2013, the China Edible Fungi Association awarded Jiayin County the honorary title of “National Demonstration County for Edible Fungi Industrialization.” Apart from over 2,000 wood ear farmers, Jiayin County also has 6,000 surplus rural laborers and laid-off urban workers engaged in black wood ear-related industries, including brokers, processing enterprises, and edible fungi supply stores. It can be said that the black wood ear industry has become a pillar of Jiayin’s rural economic development and a key project for farmers to achieve prosperity ahead of schedule.

　　Geographic Scope

　　Jiayin Wood Ear is produced in Jiayin County, Yichun City, Heilongjiang Province. The county administers 3 towns and 6 townships: Wuyun Town, Chaoyang Town, Wulaga Town, Changsheng Township, Hujia Township, Xiangyang Township, Hongguang Township, Qingshan Township, and Baoxing Township. The geographical coordinates are: 129°09′–130°45′ east longitude, 49°25′–48°07′ north latitude. The average elevation of the county is about 230 meters. Jiayin County borders Russia across the Heilongjiang River to the north. To the west, Changsheng, Hujia, and Qingshan border Xunke County and the Tangwanghe Forest Area respectively. To the south, Wulaga and Baoxing border Hegang and Luobei. The protected area spans 150,000 hectares. The total annual production scale is 18 million bags, or 630 tons.

　　Natural Ecological Environment and Humanistic Historical Factors

　　(1) Soil and Topography: Jiayin County mainly features black calcareous soil and sandy loam, with a pH value of around 6.5–7.5. The soil is fertile and suitable for farming. The terrain generally slopes from southwest to northeast. The remnants of the Lesser Khingan Mountains extend like chicken claws toward the Heilongjiang River, forming a landscape of ravines, hills, and undulating plains interspersed with gentle slopes, with Shouhu Mountain located in the southwest.

　　(2) Hydrological Conditions: Jiayin County is rich in water resources. In addition to the 245-kilometer stretch of the Heilongjiang River flowing through the county, there are 26 rivers of varying sizes that directly flow into the Heilongjiang. The main water sources are Heilongjiang water and groundwater, both meeting the Grade I surface water quality standard (GB3838) and the drinking water quality standard (GB5749). As an agricultural county focused on crop farming and with no large-scale industrial pollution, Jiayin’s water remains largely unpolluted, thus well-preserved.

　　(3) Climate: Jiayin County lies in the temperate monsoon continental climate zone. Due to variations in terrain and topography, the climate differs significantly across the region, roughly divided into two microclimatic zones. The first is the mountain microclimate zone, including Qingshan Township, the southwest of Hujia Township, the west of Changsheng Township, most of Wulaga Town, the west of Hongguang Township, and the southwest of Baoxing Township. Winters are long and cold, summers short and rainy. The accumulated temperature is around ≥1600°C, the frost-free period is about 90 days, and annual rainfall is about 530 mm. The second zone includes the northeast of Changsheng Township, Wuyun Town, Xiangyang Township, the east of Hongguang Township, Chaoyang Town, and the east of Baoxing Township. Winters bring strong Siberian cold fronts, with fierce winds, severe cold, and dryness. The frost-free period is about 120 days, and annual rainfall is around 650 mm. The county-wide average frost-free period is 115 days, annual rainfall is 588 mm, and annual sunshine duration is 2,377 hours.

　　(4) Humanistic and Historical Background: Jiayin County has a relatively short history of agricultural development. Before liberation, wood ear products were mainly foraged, with very low yields. After liberation, as agriculture developed, so did side occupations, shifting Jiayin wood ear cultivation from wild growth to artificial methods.

　　Production Technical Requirements

　　(1) Site Selection: The fruiting environment must be clean, with appropriate lighting, good ventilation, and strong insulation and moisture retention. Environmental conditions must meet the requirements of NY5010-2002.

　　(2) Variety Selection: Choose disease-resistant strains.

　　(3) Production Process Management:

　　a. Culture Medium Preparation

　　Raw Material Selection: Mainly use broadleaf sawdust such as oak, poplar, and willow; fresh, certified green food by-products such as wheat bran, rice bran, and cornmeal can serve as supplementary nutrients for cultivating wood ear; calcium ions can be added via gypsum or calcium carbonate. Culture medium formulas: (1) 79% sawdust, 20% wheat bran (or rice bran), 1% gypsum; (2) 49% sawdust, 30% corn cob, 20% wheat bran (or rice bran), 1% gypsum. Preparation: Mix dry ingredients in proportion, then adjust moisture content to 60%–65%.

　　b. Bagging and Sterilization

　　Bag Specifications: Use standard 170mm×330mm folded-angle polypropylene or polyethylene bags, filled to a height of 16–18 cm, with a material weight of 1.0 kg ± 0.05 kg. Sterilization methods include autoclaving at atmospheric pressure for over 8 hours or high-pressure sterilization for over 1.5 hours. Inoculation and Cultivation: Follow standard sterile inoculation procedures. Control cultivation temperature at 22°C–25°C, relative humidity at 60%–65%, ensure good ventilation, and cultivate in shaded conditions.

　　c. Fruiting Management

　　After the mycelium fully colonizes the bag, continue incubation for 10–15 days to allow full nutrient absorption before selecting a site for fruiting management.

　　Bag Treatment and Arrangement: Disinfect bags with 0.1% solution, then cut 9–12 slits using sterilized blades before arranging (or hanging) the bags for fruiting. Fruiting Management: Maintain humidity as the priority, balancing temperature, air, and moisture. Throughout the fruiting stage, keep relative humidity above 80%. Ideal temperature is 22°C–24°C—too high or too low affects ear growth, reducing both quality and yield. Enhance ventilation at the fruiting site to aid growth and prevent contamination. Increased light intensity and duration boost transpiration, metabolism, and ear thickness and darkness, improving overall quality. Light intensity should be 400–1000 lux.

　　d. Product Harvesting: Harvesting Standards: When the ear color lightens, the fronds soften and unfurl, the base thins, the stem contracts, and white spores appear on the ventral side, it’s time to harvest. Harvesting Method: Hold the base and gently twist off the fruiting body by hand, leaving minimal base to avoid root rot, contamination, or pest issues.

　　e. Production Records: Keep detailed records of operations and management measures throughout production for future reference.

　　Product Quality Characteristics and Safety Standards

　　(1) Sensory Characteristics: Jiayin wood ears have gelatinous, elastic, semi-transparent fronds, slightly gray on the reverse side, with good water absorption, moderate size, and fronds that are spread out with minimal curling.

　　(2) Internal Quality Indicators: Black wood ear is highly nutritious, containing protein, fat, calcium, carbohydrates, phosphorus, iron, carotene, vitamins, vitamin B1, as well as abundant fiber, potassium, magnesium, and sodium. Its protein content is comparable to meat, vitamin B2 content is 4–10 times that of common grains, vegetables, and meat, and calcium content is 30–70 times higher than that of common meat.

　　(3) Safety Requirements: Jiayin Wood Ear strictly follows the “Pollution-Free Edible Fungi” standard NY5095-2006. Site environmental conditions must comply with NY5010-2002, raw materials used in production must meet NY/T393 and NY/T394 standards, and all practices adhere to the “Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Law.”

　　(3) Safety requirements: Jiayin wood ear mushrooms are strictly produced in accordance with the "Pollution-Free Edible Fungi" standard NY5095-2006. The environmental conditions of the production area must meet the requirements of NY5010-2002, and the raw materials used in wood ear production must comply with NY/T393 and NY/T394. All production strictly adheres to the regulations of the "Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Law."

　　Relevant regulations on packaging labels and other requirements

　　(1) Labeling: Users of the label shall uniformly use the geographical indication for agricultural products (a combined labeling format featuring the name "Jiayin Wood Ear" and the public identification pattern) on their products or packaging.

　　(2) Storage: After drying, the product should be packaged and stored in a place that is light-proof, cool, clean, dry, and free from odors. Attention should be paid to preventing mold, insects, and rodents.