Qincheng Lake Wetland Agricultural Ecological Park

　　On the west side of Qincheng Lake National Wetland Park, there used to be a low-lying area spanning over 300 acres. A year ago, Xiao Leping from Qintong Town was still troubled by this piece of land, “The crops grown here didn’t even cover the annual cost of drainage.” But now, more than a dozen smart greenhouse sheds stand here. “This is a top-tier agricultural ecological park in the province, integrating high-efficiency agriculture with leisure and sightseeing, with a total investment of 120 million yuan. It is also one of the ten large-scale high-efficiency agricultural bases in Jiangyan.” Xiao Leping said confidently.

　　Feeding Cucumbers “Milk”

　　In Greenhouse No. 2 of the ecological park, a reporter saw a farmer spraying milk on cucumber plants that had already borne fruit. Wang Guangsheng, a vegetable technology expert from Shouguang, Shandong, who is stationed at the park, explained to the reporter, “Three times a week, we mix glucose and 12 kinds of amino acids into the milk and spray it on the cucumber leaves. This not only improves the taste but also enhances the cucumbers’ disease resistance.”

　　Spraying milk on vegetables is already common abroad, but the practice is still rare in Jiangsu. “At first, when we introduced this technique to the farmers, many were skeptical. But after comparative demonstrations, now all the solar greenhouses in the park use it.” Currently, the ecological park grows five varieties of cucumbers, originating from Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, Israel, and Beijing. There are even eight varieties of tomatoes. The mission of the ecological park is to cultivate high-quality fruit and vegetable varieties from around the world successfully here, and then promote them widely at the local level.

　　It is understood that the ecological park has over 60 varieties of fruit, melon, and leafy vegetables, most of which are imported from abroad. “Just for the Japanese Ichūkyū fruit cucumber, each seed costs more than one yuan.” Wang Guangsheng casually picked a cucumber and handed it to the reporter. Since no pesticides are used and the cucumbers are grown indoors without exposure to wind and sand, they can be eaten straight off the vine.

　　Qintong Watermelons Grow “Upright”

　　Watermelon is a favorite among the people of Qincheng Lake. Locals say that regular watermelons are “foolishly sweet,” while Qintong watermelons are emerald green, long and round in shape, with grooves etched into their surface, offering a subtle sweetness and a strong, refreshing fragrance.

　　But for a long time, the yield of Qintong watermelons has been low. Wang Guangsheng did some calculations for the reporter: traditionally, Qintong watermelons grow “lying” on the ground—one plant per 1.5 square meters, yielding just two or three melons, amounting to about 1,000 melons per mu. Now, in the ecological park, through techniques like topping and branching, the watermelons are “hung” and grown “upright.” Each plant only needs a 30 cm space, and the yield can reach 12,000 melons per mu.

　　Taking into account the terrain characteristics of the Lixia River area, the ecological park has also conducted experiments on hydroponic cultivation of aquatic plants. A trench over three meters deep was dug, aquatic plants were planted inside, and then covered with film. Half a month ago, old water caltrops had already sprouted slender shoots. “Even in the coldest winter, the water temperature here can reach 20 degrees Celsius. If the experiment succeeds, we’ll be able to eat fragrant water caltrops by May.” Experts from the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Nanjing Agricultural University have shown strong interest, stating that this low-cost, high-yield method, once successful, will fill the gap in off-season growth of aquatic vegetables.

　　One Tomato King Tree Produces Tons of Tomatoes

　　In the ecological park, the reporter also saw the “Tomato King” tree currently under cultivation, which is larger than an ordinary tomato plant. It is reported that when the tomatoes mature, a single Tomato King tree can yield a ton of tomatoes—such “high yield” is likely a marvel in the plant kingdom.

　　Such “high-yield” vegetables are everywhere in the ecological park. A single cucumber plant, if properly tended, can produce 4,000 cucumbers in four months; the American 2188 eggplant variety yields up to 20,000 kg per mu; pumpkins can weigh as much as 150 kg...

　　In addition, visitors can see other unique sights here: a single pot growing five colors of chili peppers, sweet potatoes hanging like grapes from the ceiling of a corridor, and eggplant trees bearing edible fungi... In a few months, this place will not only attract the curious eyes of urban residents, but even lifelong farmers will be amazed. Xiao Leping from Qintong Town said, “From simple steel-frame solar greenhouses to multi-span smart greenhouses, the ecological park has it all. It will become the most intuitive training school for farmers. Farmers interested in facility agriculture can find a model that suits them, which has exemplary significance for the development of high-efficiency agriculture.”

　　Marriage of Agriculture and Tourism

　　After several attempts, the reporter finally got in touch with the owner of the ecological park, Boss Zhou.

　　Boss Zhou told the reporter that the construction of the ecological park is a project that “marries” agriculture with tourism, greatly enriching the connotation of Qincheng Lake Wetland tourism. It organically combines the appreciation of the wetland’s natural scenery with wetland agriculture, agronomy, and agricultural technology, serving as a true microcosm of high-efficiency agriculture. The future “Qincheng Lake Wetland Ecological Park” will be a leading enterprise and a distribution hub for vegetables and fruits. From image to brand, from the park to every farmer, they will be closely integrated into a cohesive unit, jointly strategizing, developing, and prospering together.

　　With the second phase of the ecological park set to establish an agricultural product deep-processing center, efforts will be made to create “landmark” agricultural products to replace traditional tourist goods. Tourism will act as a “broker” for agricultural products, ultimately achieving the goal of selling local agricultural products “nationwide and globally.”

　　According to Boss Zhou, once the ecological park is fully completed, various cultivation techniques will also be on display. Agronomists in the park will perform grafting demonstrations for visitors: making pumpkin vines bear cucumbers and bitter melons, and growing tomatoes and potatoes on the same root. While sightseeing in the ecological park, visitors can pick and taste fresh fruits and vegetables, and also participate in agricultural science games. The ecological park has invested 2 million yuan to develop a fun quiz machine where visitors can answer small agricultural knowledge questions via a computer touchscreen. Answer correctly, and the machine will automatically dispense a few cucumbers or corn cobs as a reward.