A bird's-eye view of water chestnut plantation in Suchen town, Hailing district. [Photo/WeChat account: weihailing0523]
A 124 mu (about 8.26 hectares) water chestnut plantation in Suchen town, Hailing district, Taizhou, East China's Jiangsu province, is now harvesting a plentiful crop of the aquatic plant.
The base focuses on cultivating two-horned water chestnuts, commonly called "Yuanbao Ling" because they resemble ancient Chinese gold ingots. Known for their large size, excellent texture, and high productivity, these chestnuts are in high market demand.
"Our sandy loam soil contains four to five times more selenium than the Lixia River region, resulting in crisper and more nutritious chestnuts," said Zhong Aping, the plantation director.
This year's innovative greenhouse seedling cultivation method sped up maturation by 20 to 30 days compared to last year. Output grew by 20 percent annually, with total production expected to reach 120,000 kilograms.