American plumcot is the newest fruit variety internationally.

On December 11, 2003, the most authoritative science and technology newspaper with the largest national circulation, Hunan Science and Technology News, published a special feature on American plumcot, and interviewed expert Li Fangdong of the Chinese Academy of Forestry's "Plumcot Research Group" (a doctorate holder and researcher in non-timber forest products).

Reporter: How was the American plumcot introduced?

Dr. Li Fangdong: In August 1994, the State Council approved the establishment of the national "948" project, aimed at introducing excellent new farm product varieties, new technologies and so on from agriculturally developed countries, and after digestion and absorption, promoting them domestically to raise the grade and quality of our country's agricultural products and shorten the gap between our country's agriculture and that of developed countries. "Introduction of New Interspecific Hybrid Plumcot Varieties" was a national "948" project assigned in 2000, hosted and implemented by the Chinese Academy of Forestry.

American plumcot is a brand-new fruit category bred by foreign fruit tree breeding experts through decades of effort, using plums and apricots through a complex hybridization process, that is, after multiple generations of hybridization. It is the newest fruit variety internationally. It has only just begun to be developed in North America, with only a small amount introduced in Europe, South America, South Africa and Australia, and our country is currently the country that has introduced the most new hybrid plumcot varieties.

Reporter: Farmers now generally care about the economic benefits of growing plumcot. May I ask what the benefits and prospects are of growing American plumcot?

Dr. Li Fangdong: Because of its unique flavor, bright color and high nutritional value, American plumcot is deeply favored by consumers. On the American market, the price of fresh plumcot fruit is 10 to 12 US dollars per kilogram, which is 4 to 6 times the market price of ordinary plum and apricot varieties, and 8 to 10 [times] the market price of apples and citrus. At present, the CIF price of the small amount of imported plumcot domestically is 13.5 US dollars per kilogram, and the market retail price is 130 to 140 yuan per kilogram: the economic benefits are very considerable. Judging from market capacity, economic benefits and suitable regions, the prospects for developing American plumcot are very broad.

Reporter: Many farmers have become very enthusiastic about planting after seeing the special reports on plumcot, but they do not know which plumcot varieties to choose to plant. May I ask what issues should be noted when choosing new plumcot varieties?

Dr. Li Fangdong: The overall traits of American plumcot are all very outstanding. However, because the growth and development characteristics of each variety are not exactly the same, the suitable planting range also differs. Therefore, when deciding on planting varieties, farmers should choose according to variety characteristics, the climate and soil conditions of the planting area, and management objectives. For example, varieties such as Weidi, Dinosaur Egg, Weihou, Red Velvet and Flavor Rose perform very stably and can be planted throughout our country; but the 3 varieties Weixin, Flavor Queen and Weiwang are prone to fruit cracking or pit cracking if rainfall is too heavy during the fruit enlargement period. These varieties are suitable for planting in arid and semi-arid regions, and when planted in the south, attention should be paid to rain protection during the fruit enlargement period (for example, bagging).

Reporter: I have heard that plums, apricots and American plumcot need pollinizer trees. Is that so? How should pollinizer trees be arranged? What about planting density?

Dr. Li Fangdong: Many varieties of plum and apricot, as well as American plumcot, need suitable pollinizer varieties to achieve the goal of high and stable yields. When choosing pollinizer varieties, the following principles should be mastered: (1) the pollination compatibility between the pollinizer variety and the main planted variety should be good; (2) the flowering periods of the pollinizer variety and the main planted variety should match or be close; (3) the pollinizer variety should have relatively high commercial value, such as Dinosaur Egg and Weidi, which can serve as pollinizer trees for each other, and for Weihou, Dinosaur Egg can be selected as the pollinizer variety. Plumcot is generally planted at a row spacing of 2 x 4 m, with 83 trees per mu, or 2 x 3 m, with 110 trees per mu.