When was cotton introduced to China? An introduction to China's cotton cultivation history

Cotton is one of the world's most important crops. It is the seed fibre of plants in the genus Gossypium of the mallow family (Malvaceae) and can be made into fabrics of various specifications. At present, the countries with the highest cotton production in the world are China, the United States, India, Brazil, Mexico, Egypt, Pakistan, Turkey, Argentina and Sudan. Let's take a look below at when cotton entered China!

When did cotton enter China?

Cotton cultivation first appeared in the Indus Valley civilization in the 5th to 4th millennium BC. Around the 9th century, the Moors brought cotton cultivation methods to Spain, and in the 15th century it spread to England, and then to England's colonies in North America. In China, at least 2,000 years ago, cotton fibre was already used as a textile raw material in Guangxi, Yunnan, ** and other regions. However, in the Central Plains region, people at first regarded cotton only as an ornamental plant and did not recognize its economic value. Because African cotton and Asian cotton were poor in quality and low in yield, by the late Qing Dynasty China successively introduced improved upland cotton varieties from the United States. Today, all the cotton grown in China is upland cotton from various countries and its variants.

What routes did cotton take to be introduced to China?

It is generally believed that cotton was introduced to China via two routes, north and south, spreading toward the Central Plains. The southern route was first Asian cotton from India, which was introduced via Southeast Asia to Hainan Island and the Guangdong-Guangxi region, according to historical records at least during the Qin and Han dynasties, and afterwards spread to Fujian, Guangdong, Sichuan and other regions. The second route was from India via Myanmar into Yunnan, around the Qin and Han dynasties. The third route was African cotton entering ** and the Hexi Corridor area via West Asia, around the Northern and Southern Dynasties period. The northern route is what ancient texts called the "Western Regions." During the Song and Yuan dynasties, cotton spread to the vast areas of the Yangtze River and Yellow River basins, and by the 13th century northern-route cotton had reached the Wei River basin in Shaanxi.

What variety classifications of cotton are there?

1. Coarse-fibre cotton: Coarse-fibre cotton is also called Asian cotton. It originated in India. Because of its low yield and coarse, short fibres, it is unsuitable for machine spinning and has been gradually phased out.

2. Long-staple cotton: Long-staple cotton is also called Sea Island cotton. It originated in South America. Its fibres are long and its strength is high, making it suitable for spinning high-count yarn, and its quality is excellent.

3. Fine-staple cotton: Fine-staple cotton is also called upland cotton. It originated in Central America. It has wide adaptability, high yield, relatively long fibres and relatively good quality, and can be spun into medium-count yarn.

Growing conditions and cultivation techniques for orange trees

The orange is a fruit of the genus Citrus in the rue family (Rutaceae), native to China. Its thousands of years of cultivation history make it impossible to state a specific place of origin. It was spread throughout the Eurasian continent by Arabs, and to this day in the Netherlands and Germany it is still called "Chinese apple." China is one of the important places of origin of the orange fruit, with abundant resources and numerous fine varieties. Let's take a look below at the cultivation techniques for orange trees!

Growing conditions for orange trees

1. Temperature: The growth and development of the orange fruit requires a temperature of 12.5-37°C. Flower bud differentiation in autumn requires day and night temperatures of about 20°C and about 10°C respectively, and the soil temperature for root growth is roughly the same as that of the above-ground part. High temperatures are also unfavourable to the growth and development of citrus; when the air temperature and soil temperature are above 37°C, the fruit and roots stop growing.

2. Light: The orange is a tree species with relatively strong shade tolerance, but good sunshine is still needed for high quality and high yield. Generally, areas with an annual sunshine duration of 1,200-2,200 hours can grow normally. For example, compared with the citrus-producing area of Chongqing, which has less sunshine, South China, which has good sunshine and abundant heat, produces fruit with higher sugar content, lower acid content and a higher sugar-acid ratio.

3. Humidity: Oranges are suitable for planting in tropical and subtropical regions with an annual rainfall of around 1,000 mm. A relative soil moisture content of 60-80% is suitable; below 60%, irrigation is needed. Too much rain causes waterlogging in the soil or a high groundwater level, and in citrus orchards with poor drainage this can cause the root system to die.

4. Soil: Oranges have a relatively wide range of soil adaptability, and can grow in purple soil, red-yellow soil, sandy beach and coastal mudflat, with a pH of 4.5-8, with a pH of 5.5-6.5 being most suitable. Root growth requires a relatively high oxygen content, and soil that is loose in texture, well structured, with an organic matter content of 2-3% and good drainage is most suitable.

Cultivation techniques for orange trees

1. Seedling planting: When planting orange seedlings, moderately prune the root system of the seedling, then place it in the centre of the planting hole, spread out the roots, hold it upright, and while filling in soil, gently lift the seedling upward and firm the soil. Water thoroughly to settle the roots, make a 1 m tree basin around the sapling, and cover it with rice husks. After planting the orange seedlings, deep ploughing and hole expansion and soil maturation should be done well, planting tall-stalked plants such as corn and wheat in the orchard is prohibited, and work such as rational intercropping in the orchard and cultivation and weeding should be done well.

2. Fertilizer and water management: Orange trees should fully satisfy the needs of blood oranges for various nutrient elements. It is advocated to apply more organic fertilizer, and to rationally apply inorganic fertilizer and formula fertilizer, and to guide fertilization according to leaf analysis results, orchard soil analysis results, and the phenological period of blood oranges. Soil fertilization is the main method, combined with foliar fertilization. Methods such as ring furrow application, strip furrow application, hole application and spreading fertilizer on the soil surface are used. Irrigate when the soil is dry, and drain when there is waterlogging.

3. Rational fertilization: Orange trees should be fertilized frequently and lightly, mainly with nitrogen fertilizer, combined with phosphate and potassium fertilizer, fertilizing 5-6 times during the sprouting periods of spring, summer and autumn shoots. For mature trees, apply four good rounds of fertilizer, namely sprouting fertilizer, fruit-setting fertilizer, fruit-swelling fertilizer and post-harvest fertilizer. Sprouting fertilizer: 2-3 jin of chemical fertilizer and one carrying pole of manure water; fruit-setting fertilizer: 1-2 jin of phosphate and potassium fertilizer and 1 jin of chemical fertilizer; fruit-swelling fertilizer: 1-2 jin of chemical fertilizer and 2 jin of phosphate and potassium fertilizer; post-harvest fertilizer: 50-100 jin of organic fertilizer and 2 jin of chemical fertilizer per tree.

4. Pruning techniques: In the young tree stage, after selecting the central leader extension shoot and the extension shoots of each main branch and secondary main branch, carry out moderate or even heavy heading back, and use the degree of heading back and the direction of the pruning bud to regulate the balance of growth among the main branches. In the fruiting stage, continue to select and head back the extension shoots at all levels of the framework, remove summer shoots, and promote vigorous autumn shoots. In autumn, for vigorously growing trees, measures to promote flowering such as girdling, root pruning and water control are used.

Pest and disease control for orange trees

1. Foot rot: Drain water promptly, improve the light transmission and ventilation conditions in the orchard, strengthen control of longhorn beetles and other trunk pests, and select disease-resistant rootstocks such as trifoliate orange, citrange and citron. For plants that have already been infected, disease-resistant rootstocks can be used for rootstock replacement.

2. Mites: The main periods for controlling rust mites are the spring shoot sprouting period, the young fruit period and the fruit enlargement period. Commonly used pesticides include hexythiazox, pyridaben, propargite, bromopropylate and amitraz. Take care to protect natural enemies such as long-seta mites, blunt mites and green lacewings.

3. Scale insects: Commonly used pesticides include buprofezin, methidathion, matrine + nicotine, chlorpyrifos and mineral oil emulsion. Take care to improve the ventilation and light transmission conditions in the orchard, and protect and utilise natural enemies such as Japanese square-headed beetles, red-spotted ladybirds and green lacewings.

4. Aphids: When the damage rate of new shoots reaches 25%, pesticide should be sprayed immediately for control. Commonly used pesticides include acetamiprid, dimethoate and carbosulfan. Take care to protect seven-spot ladybirds, large green lacewings and aphid wasps, and prune out overwintering eggs to reduce the pest population base.

5. Leafminers: Promptly remove scattered summer and autumn shoots. When new shoots have grown to 1-2 cm, spray pesticide once every 7-10 days, for 2-3 consecutive times. Commonly used pesticides include avermectin, cartap and cyhalothrin.

6. Longhorn beetles: On sunny days at noon, manually capture and kill adult star longhorn beetles and green orange longhorn beetles; in the evening, capture and kill adult brown longhorn beetles. Promptly remove eggs and newly hatched larvae and prune out damaged shoots. Cotton or cotton yarn soaked in insecticides such as dimethoate can also be used to poison the larvae.

7. Flower bud midges: At the bud stage, choose chemicals such as methamidophos powder and diazinon granules, mix evenly with fine soil, and spread on the soil surface of the tree basin once every 7 days, for 2-3 consecutive times. When the flower buds are 2-3 mm in diameter, choose parathion, trichlorfon and the like to spray the tree canopy.

Is lettuce a genetically modified food?

Lettuce is also known as leaf lettuce, goose lettuce, wosun, mai tsai and so on. It originated on the Mediterranean coast of Europe and was domesticated from wild species. The ancient Greeks and Romans were the first to eat it. It has a relatively long history of introduction to China, and is cultivated more in the southeastern coastal areas, especially in the suburbs of large cities and the Guangdong-Guangxi region. Let's take a look below at whether lettuce is genetically modified!

Is lettuce genetically modified?

Lettuce is not genetically modified. [Lettuce is genetically modified.] At present, apart from the genetically modified soybeans and corn imported on a large scale, other genetically modified vegetables are uncommon. Although China once approved other genetically modified vegetables such as genetically modified tomatoes, because genetically modified tomatoes have too thick skins and poor taste, they have basically been eliminated worldwide.

What genetically modified foods are there?

1. Tomato: I believe many people like to eat tomatoes, and precisely because most people around the world like this vegetable, scientists have studied tomatoes more deeply, and found that tomato genes are relatively easy to transfer, so the tomatoes eaten today are also slowly moving onto the path of genetic modification, and there is even a trend toward starting commercial production. It is worth mentioning that although China has approved genetically modified tomato production, large-scale commercial production has not yet begun.

2. Sweet pepper: In 1998, approved by the Ministry of Agriculture, genetically modified coloured peppers were once allowed for commercial cultivation, but genetically modified coloured peppers seem not to have received much welcome from the public in China, and today genetically modified coloured peppers are basically no longer produced. However, it cannot be ruled out that some merchants violate government regulations and plant genetically modified coloured peppers without authorization.

3. Corn: Genetically modified corn has been allowed to be imported into China from the United States. In particular, on January 7, 2015, a certain agricultural university even developed a genetically modified corn variety with insect-resistant rice, and won an award for it.

4. Rapeseed: We all know that rapeseed can be used to produce oil, so many people who study agriculture focus on researching it. At present, genetically modified rapeseed still faces various controversies among governments of various countries; in the end it is still concern about toxicity and allergies. Although China has not yet begun to promote the cultivation of genetically modified rapeseed, it does import genetically modified rapeseed.

5. Soybean: When we buy cooking oil, we often find that some cooking oils are labelled "genetically modified soybean." In fact, genetically modified soybeans have already begun to enter the Chinese market on a large scale, and are mainly used for processing cooking oil. As for whether genetically modified soybeans are being sold on the market, it is unknown. So if you do not want to eat genetically modified cooking oil, it is advisable to read the product label clearly before buying.

Characteristics of genetically modified vegetables

1. Size: They do not have the uneven appearance of traditional vegetables; they are generally uniform in size, large and long in shape, bright in colour and fresh and tender in texture. For example, soybeans should be shaped like the kidney, the animal organ, somewhat flat, with a waist line, but today's soybeans are all round, like peas, and have a very high yield.

2. Taste: They do not have the original, authentic taste of traditional vegetables. Whether it is the smell or the taste before or after cooking, there is a clear difference from traditional vegetables. Traditional corn is generally yellow corn or white corn, slightly sweet, while the sweet corn popular now is very high in sweetness, as if honey had been added. Sweet corn kernels have little waxiness on the surface and a tender texture, and some are even waxy.

3. Season: Non-local seasonal vegetables. A major characteristic of all kinds of vegetables is that they all have strong seasonality and regionality. Some non-local seasonal vegetables are obtained by transferring cold-tolerant or high-temperature-tolerant genes, such as out-of-season winter jujubes.

4. Colour: Different from traditional colours, such as coloured cotton, black rice peanuts and purple sweet potatoes.

5. Pests: Any vegetable that pests like to visit is not genetically modified, and any vegetable that pests fear, that is, one with no pests or very few pests, is absolutely genetically modified.

6. Yield: Genetically modified vegetables generally have a considerably higher yield than traditional vegetables in the first few years.

7. Seed saving: Genetically modified vegetables are generally very difficult to save seed from.