A groundbreaking new variety of tree-form pepper has been successfully cultivated in Shaodong, a part of Shaoyang city in Hunan province. This innovation is set to revolutionize pepper cultivation and significantly enhance farmers' livelihoods by providing a replicable model for transitioning traditional agriculture toward more efficient and sustainable practices.
The journey to this innovation began 25 years ago when Li Pei, a researcher at the Vegetable Research Institute of the Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, joined a team dedicated to developing the tree-form pepper. "Initially, few believed that peppers could grow like trees," Li said, adding that his team faced challenges in selecting the right variety due to regional preferences for spiciness and fruit shape.
After years of research, they developed a robust and flavorful variety suitable not only for Hunan but also for cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in Guangdong province. "The main innovation is using height to maximize space and yield," Li explained. "We produce peppers vertically and densely, which makes the most of vertical space, maintains high yields, and reduces labor, surpassing traditional yield limits."
At the technology-driven farming demonstration base of the Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, located in Qingshan village in Shaodong, 55-year-old local farmer Zhang Feihua, who also serves as the director of the base, has become a local sensation thanks to the unique peppers thriving in his greenhouse.
Read more at China Daily
