Early Crisp King Jujube: Introduction of a New Fresh-Eating Jujube Variety

1. Both a seasonal delicacy and a pioneer for greening. The new fresh-eating jujube variety - the zinc-rich Early Crisp King jujube - has been successfully introduced and cultivated at the premium jujube base of the Chinese Association of Agricultural Science Societies.

2. The standout features of the zinc-rich Early Crisp King jujube are: early ripening, large size, and high quality. It matures in early September and can be picked for market, going on sale more than a month earlier than the Winter jujube; the average single fruit weight is 30.9 grams, with a maximum of 87 grams, compared with the Winter jujube's average single fruit weight of 17.5 grams, an increase of about 76.6%, making it one of the largest fresh-eating jujube varieties currently in China, and it can truly be called a giant jujube; the flesh is thick and the pit small, with an edible rate of 96.7%, rich in nutrients and high in sugar, generally containing about 39% sugar, higher than all other fresh-eating jujubes except the Winter jujube, and it is also rich in various trace elements needed by the human body, such as zinc, iron, calcium, and phosphorus, with the zinc content being especially high.

3. The zinc-rich Early Crisp King jujube also ripens right around the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day, making it an excellent gift for supplying the fresh jujube market during the two holidays and for giving to relatives and friends, with good market potential. In addition, it has strong adaptability, being both drought-resistant and waterlogging-tolerant, as well as resistant to saline-alkali and tolerant of poor soil, so it can be called a pioneer tree species for greening. It is also a new and superior fresh-eating variety that is easy to cultivate, easy to manage, early-ripening, and highly productive. Generally, young trees can bear fruit in the same year they are planted, and in the second year the yield per plant can reach about 2.5 kg; if large trees are top-grafted, fruit can be seen the same year, and the economic benefits are very considerable. Therefore, it is also an ideal new fresh-eating jujube variety with low investment and quick returns, and can be developed in many regions.