Why is the Ban jujube one of the four famous jujubes of Shanxi?
Distribution: There are contiguous plantings in Taoliang, Yaocun, Nanyang, Dongtuan and Xitou of Jishan County and in Xiangfen County.
Botanical characteristics: The crown is round-headed, the tree habit is spreading, the trunk is relatively weak, the tree vigor is moderate, and the tree is medium to large. The main trunk is grayish brown, with vertical and horizontal cracks in the bark, the cracks are coin-like, and it peels easily. The jujube head branches are brownish red, with an annual growth of 35-75 cm, slightly curved between the nodes, and the lenticels are medium-large and numerous, grayish white. The jujube spurs are grayish brown, conical or long conical. Usually 3-9 jujube hanging shoots are produced, and the hanging shoots are 12-19.5 cm long. The parts bearing more fruit are at nodes 6-12, the flower quantity is moderate, each inflorescence has 1-7 single flowers, and the jujube hanging shoots have 10-15 leaves; the leaves are small and thick, ovate, 3.6-5.4 cm long and 1.7-2.5 cm wide, with an obtuse acuminate tip, blunt serrate margins, and a wedge-shaped or rounded base, green, with a petiole 0.2-0.5 cm long.
Biological characteristics: A 40-year-old plant has a trunk height of 1.2 m, trunk circumference of 0.76 m, tree height of 6-8 m, and branch spread of 5.6-7.8 m. The sprouting ability of jujube head branches is weak, and the fruiting ability in the current year is relatively strong. It enters the fruiting stage relatively early, is relatively high-yielding, and the yield is unstable. A 40-year-old single plant produces 30-40 kg of fresh jujubes. At the Jishan production area, it sprouts in early April, flowers in mid-May, reaches full bloom in early June, the fruit ripens in early to mid-September, and leaves fall in mid-to-late October.
Economic traits: The fruit is small, obovate, 2.7-3.6 cm in longitudinal diameter and 2.3-2.8 cm in transverse diameter, with an average single fruit weight of 9.2 g and a maximum single fruit weight of 14 g. The fruit surface is smooth, the skin is thin, dark red, and the fruit dots are small and relatively prominent. The stalk cavity is moderately deep and moderately wide, and the top depression is broad and shallow. The flesh is thick, white-green, dense and relatively crisp, sweet in taste, with moderate juice; fresh jujubes contain 33.7% sugar, 0.36% acid, and 499.7 mg of vitamin C per 100 g of flesh. Dried jujubes contain 74.6% sugar and 2.4% acid. The stone is small, conical, 1.39-1.99 cm in longitudinal diameter and 0.55-1.02 cm in transverse diameter, with an average weight of 0.34 g, and the edible portion accounts for 96.3% of fruit weight. The stone surface is rough, the grooves are shallow, the apex is short and pointed, the base is slightly blunt, the kernel-bearing rate is 15%, and the seed kernel is not plump. The fruit quality is excellent, and the drying rate is 64%. Together with Jun jujube, Huping jujube and Xiang jujube, it is listed as one of the four famous jujubes of Shanxi. Disadvantages: the fruit is small, preharvest fruit drop is serious, and it is not resistant to fruit cracking.
Cultivation points: This variety has moderate tree vigor and a medium to large tree body, and its resistance to pests and diseases and to salinity and alkalinity is relatively weak. It is susceptible to jujube witches' broom disease, and is suitable for cultivation in areas with relatively fertile soil and convenient watering.