Where are plums produced? A look at the latest distribution

Plums are native to southern China and are a subtropical specialty fruit tree with a cultivation history of more than 3,000 years. They are cultivated throughout China, with the largest production areas in the provinces south of the Yangtze River basin. There are also a few varieties in northern Jiangsu and southern Henan, and some varieties have been successfully introduced and cultivated in North China. Let us take a look below at the production area distribution of plums!

Production area distribution of plums

Plums are distributed over a relatively wide geographical range in China, from the southern side of the Yellow River basin in the north, south to the coast of Guangdong, west from Bomi in Tibet, and east to the island of Taiwan, China, with cultivated or wild species distributed in a total of 18 provinces (municipalities and autonomous regions). Guangdong, Taiwan, China, Guangxi, and Fujian are developing relatively quickly, while Zhejiang, Yunnan, Jiangsu, Anhui, and other provinces and municipalities are also cultivating them on a large scale.

Production environment for plums

Plums prefer warm climatic conditions. Judging from the temperatures in China's fruit plum cultivation regions, they can be cultivated in areas with an average annual temperature of 12-23°C. They are not strict about soil requirements. Whether on plains or mountains, they can be planted in slightly acidic or slightly alkaline soil, but the soil layer should be relatively deep, the soil texture loose, and drainage good. Hilly and mountainous sloping land with a slope below 30°C is most suitable for cultivation, and generally a south-facing or east-west slope aspect should be chosen.

China's hometowns of plums

1. Eryuan plums: Among the many forest and fruit cash crops produced in Eryuan County, Dali, Yunnan, plums are the most famous, and it is known as the hometown of plums. Eryuan plums are high quality and large, with an attractive color, and contain multiple vitamins and organic acids. They have thick flesh and small pits, and are sour, crisp, and tasty. They are not only a thirst-quenching summer fruit but also a raw material for medicines with a very wide range of medical uses. Eryuan plums are a geographical indication protected product.

2. Dachuan dark plums: Dachuan District, Dazhou City, Sichuan Province, is the native resource area of “dark plums”. The dark plums produced there have a pure botanical origin and excellent varieties, and are the national standard-setting variety for dark plum GAP standards. Their active ingredient citric acid content is 29.4%, nearly double the standard in the Pharmacopoeia, ranking first in the country. In October 2014, the China Economic Forestry Association officially issued a document naming Dachuan District as China's hometown of dark plums.