Juicy "Bursting" Jujube to Hit the Market by Year-End, Kaohsiung Agricultural Improvement Station Develops New Juicy Variety After Six Years
Taiwan green jujube (honey jujube) has always been a popular item on the winter fruit market, and the Kaohsiung District Agricultural Improvement Station, after six years of variety selection and breeding, is about to release a new variety with particularly juicy flesh. Because the juice bursts out when bitten, it has been vividly called the "bursting jujube," and it is expected to officially meet consumers in the year-end production season.
How the "bursting" trait was bred
A new jujube variety often takes many years from crossbreeding and seedling selection to trait stabilization. Breeders must repeatedly compare fruit sweetness, crispness, juice content, fruit weight, and disease resistance among tens of thousands of progeny, eliminating the vast majority of individuals and keeping only the few with the most outstanding performance. Only after graft propagation and regional trial planting confirm stability can it be named and promoted. The core indicator of so-called "bursting" is high water content in the flesh cells, crisp and tender texture with no residue, and an obvious sense of juice when eaten, while also balancing sugar content and flavor, with thin peel, a small pit, and a high edible rate. Its overall quality must be clearly superior to existing main commercial varieties.
What jujube farmers should pay attention to when planting
Green jujube prefers warmth and fears frost, and is suitable for planting on gentle slopes or flat land with ample sunlight and good drainage. In production, grafted seedlings are mostly used for establishment, and after each year's harvest, heavy pruning is carried out for renewal, along with branch thinning and fruit thinning, so that nutrients are concentrated in the retained fruit. Water management is the key to determining the "bursting" texture: water supply must be balanced in the middle and late stages of fruit development, as alternating drought and moisture can easily cause fruit cracking or insufficient juice. Orchards with the conditions can use drip irrigation combined with bed surface mulching to preserve soil moisture. In addition, common threats in jujube orchards such as powdery mildew, ring rot, and the Oriental fruit fly cannot be ignored, and timely control should be carried out according to the guidance of plant protection departments. Bagging cultivation can also significantly improve fruit surface glossiness and marketable rate. The promotion pace, seedling supply, and trial planting conditions of the new variety differ from place to place, and specific information should be based on official announcements from the improvement station and local agricultural authorities.
How consumers should choose and store them
When selecting, those with plump fruit shape, light green and glossy peel, and no bruises or compression damage are best. Among fruits of the same size, those that feel heavier in the hand usually have more juice. Green jujube has moderate storage tolerance. After buying, it can be placed in a plastic storage bag and refrigerated, and it is best to eat it within a week for the best flavor. With the market release of this kind of high-juice new variety, the choices at winter fruit stalls will become even more abundant, and jujube farmers who are interested can also pay attention to trial planting information in advance to seize the market window brought by the new variety.