Buyers happy to pay for the best
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DESPITE costing 80 yuan (US$12) a kilogram, Malu grapes are very popular in Shanghai. Only 36 grapevines are planted on each mu (667 square meters) of land in Shanghai Malu Grape Park.
“The secret of Malu grapes lies in that figure,” said Shan Tao, deputy director of Malu Grape Research Institute and general manager of the park.
Normally grape growers plant at least 120 vines per mu, sometimes even 200. However, they get a lot more space in the park.
“We control the growing of grapes by controlling the growth of root system to make sure more nutrients are transmitted to the fruit,” Shan said.
This planting model can not only reduce the land management area but also save fertilizer, water and labor. It can raise quality and prevent the grapes splitting as well.
“How much nutrition each grapevine needs, how large an area can supply that nutrition and how many grapes a grapevine produces are all decided after careful calculations,” Shan said.
There are more than 500 mu of vine fields in the park, and 60 percent of them are planted using this method.
Even though the number of vines per mu is reduced, the yield is almost the same as the crown of each grapevine is around 8 square meters, or around three times larger than before, Shan said. “There are around 1,800 branches on 36 grapevines, and we control the number of grapes to no more than 1,200 bunches to guarantee its quality.”
Most of the consumers like to peel grapes before eating to avoid pesticide residue commonly found in other fruits, but Shan and his father Shan Chuanlun grow organic Malu grapes which allows consumers to eat them with the skin on.
It contains anthocyanin and resveratrol, both of which are said to be good for your health, Shan said.
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