Honeysuckle is an ideal choice for economic development in mountainous areas

I. Development and utilization prospects of honeysuckle

(1) Medicinal value Honeysuckle is one of the ten precious and widely used medicinal herbs nationwide. As early as more than 2000 years ago, the "Shennong Bencao Jing" listed it as a superior grade, and recorded that "taken over a long period it lightens the body and prolongs life." Its flower buds contain luteolin, inositol, and chlorogenic acid. Research shows that chlorogenic acid is the main active ingredient for antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects. It has a significant inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus, hemolytic Streptococcus, Shigella dysenteriae, Salmonella typhi, Salmonella paratyphi, and Pneumococcus. Because honeysuckle can inhibit the above-mentioned bacteria and viruses, its preparations have a wide range of indications, with varying degrees of efficacy against upper respiratory tract infections, acute tonsillitis, acute pharyngitis, wound infections, diarrhea and dysentery, influenza, pneumonia, lung abscess, mastitis, and purulent skin infections. In recent years, the development and utilization of honeysuckle has made breakthrough progress, with good development prospects in fields such as pharmaceuticals, fragrances, cosmetics, health foods, and health beverages.

(2) Economic value Cultivating honeysuckle is a planting industry with low investment, easy management, and quick results. Planted in the current year, it shows results the next year, and enters full flowering in the third year. One five-year-old honeysuckle clump occupying 1 m3 produces 0.1 kg of dried flowers per year. Calculated at 1250 clumps per 10,000 m, the annual output value is 4200-5000 yuan. After deducting 1100 yuan for pesticides, fertilizers, and management labor days, the net income is 3100-3900 yuan, giving considerable economic benefits.

(3) Soil and water conservation effect Honeysuckle has many branches, high leaf density, and closes its canopy quickly, giving good water storage and soil conservation benefits. A honeysuckle plant 80 cm tall with a clump size of 1 m3 can have as many as 200 branches and nearly ten thousand leaves. Even under relatively strong rainstorms, the layer-by-layer interception by the leaf surface eliminates and reduces the splashing effect of raindrops, increases rainfall infiltration, and significantly reduces soil and water loss. According to sample plot surveys and observations, when honeysuckle is cultivated on barren slopes in a gneiss strongly eroded area, after five years the vegetation coverage reaches 91.7%, the water storage efficiency reaches 48.2%, and the sediment reduction efficiency is 72.6%. When honeysuckle is cultivated on field ridges, after five years the vegetation coverage reaches 86.4%, the water storage efficiency reaches 43.2%, and the sediment reduction efficiency reaches 68.2%. The water storage and soil conservation effects are very obvious, making it a soil and water conservation economic plant very suitable for mountainous areas.

Because honeysuckle has high medicinal value, good economic benefits, and a strong soil and water conservation effect, it is an ideal cash crop suitable for economic development in mountainous areas.

II. Development measures for honeysuckle along field ridges in our county

(1) Adapt to local conditions and make scientific decisions Pingyi County is located in the hinterland of Mengshan, belonging to the Yihe River system of the Huaihe River Basin. Mountainous and hilly areas account for 85%, and the county has undulating mountains and crisscrossing gullies, with very serious soil and water loss. In recent years, during long-term comprehensive management of small watersheds for soil and water conservation, Pingyi County, Shandong Province has recognized that planting honeysuckle along field ridges is an important measure for controlling soil and water loss, improving the ecological environment, developing the mountainous economy, and improving the living standards of people in mountainous areas. Therefore, based on its local natural advantages, Pingyi County has developed honeysuckle along field ridges on a large scale and treated the development of honeysuckle as an industry, achieving good social, ecological, and economic benefits.

In 1998, the county planted 120 million clumps of honeysuckle along field ridges, with an annual output of 4.2 million kg of dried flowers, accounting for about 50% of the national total honeysuckle output and ranking first in the country. Pingyi County's honeysuckle sells well across the country, and this single item brought in 150 million yuan in economic income.

(2) Adapt to local conditions and develop the ridge-side economy

Honeysuckle has a cultivation history of more than five hundred years in our county. It not only grows fast and has a long lifespan, but also has strong stress resistance and is not strict about soil requirements. It can grow well in slightly acidic, slightly alkaline, and neutral soils. Its root system is developed, with few but strong main and lateral roots, generally about 3-5 lateral roots, and particularly many fibrous roots within the 1-30 cm soil layer. If its stems and vines touch the soil, they can produce large numbers of fibrous roots, giving it a unique soil-fixing function. According to surveys, when honeysuckle is planted on field ridges with a clump spacing of 70-80 cm, it can cover the ridge in 3 years, protecting the earth ridge from gullies and preventing stone ridges from collapsing. At the same time, honeysuckle is not strict about climatic conditions and has strong drought resistance. There is a saying among the people that "wild grass may die of drought, but honeysuckle will not die of drought." On barren land with serious soil and water loss that is difficult to use, planting honeysuckle can not only obtain relatively high economic benefits, but also achieve the goal of developing the three major benefits simultaneously. Therefore, after repeated investigation and demonstration by leaders at the county and township levels, it was decided to make full use of local natural conditions, promote strengths and avoid weaknesses, and develop a mountainous economy based mainly on honeysuckle along field ridges. At the same time, according to the development of honeysuckle, plans for related industries were formulated to ensure product appreciation.

(3) Create a relaxed environment and promote the development of honeysuckle along field ridges First, in accordance with the county's unified plan, the county government issues documents every year to provide unified guidance for the development of honeysuckle, give support in policies, funds, and other aspects, promote comprehensive development, and actively provide a series of services. Second, departments at the county level actively support the development of honeysuckle along field ridges according to their respective functions. Departments such as land, industry and commerce, taxation, and banking open wide doors for honeysuckle processing enterprises and provide preferential policies in various aspects to investors. The political and legal departments strive to create a good development environment, so that the whole county has formed a grand chorus for developing the ridge-side honeysuckle economy.

(4) Rely on science and technology and increase technological content First, after several years of experimentation, the honeysuckle cultivation center has developed excellent varieties such as Damaohua and Jizhua. Through scientific and technical personnel contracting villages, contracting households, and conducting demonstrations, the promotion rate of excellent varieties among the county's 120 million clumps of cultivated honeysuckle has now reached 95%, bringing new improvements to both the quality and yield of honeysuckle. Second, the comprehensive processing and utilization of honeysuckle flowers, stems, and leaves has been listed by the National Food Association as a key development project and has also been included in the provincial Science and Technology Commission's "short, flat, and fast" major plan project. Five research topics on honeysuckle series products jointly developed by the county food factory, the provincial Science and Technology Commission, and the provincial Fermentation Research Institute have all passed appraisal and been put into production, driving the rapid development of the honeysuckle processing industry. At present, the county has more than 20 honeysuckle processing enterprises, and the extraction of chlorogenic acid in Liuyu Town has filled a domestic gap.