Expert offers insights to boost papaya industry development

Li Xuejun teaches farmers how to properly prune papaya trees. [Photo by Dong Linjun for chinadaily.com.cn]

Winter is an important time for managing papaya trees. Recently, Li Xuejun, an agricultural expert from the forestry service center in Dingtao district, Heze city, Shandong province, visited the Caozhou Papaya Industrial Park in Rangu town to provide guidance to farmers on winter care for papaya fruit trees.

Talking to farmers, Li addressed the current growth conditions of the papaya trees and elaborated on principles, methods, precautions and the sequence of pruning papaya trees. 

He also addressed their inquiries and dispelled any doubts regarding orchard management tasks such as tree shaping, straightening, fertilization, and pest and disease control, helping farmers solve cultivation and maintenance issues and elevating their technical skills.

"I have learned a great deal today. Due to Li's guidance, I now know which branches to retain, which ones to prune, and how to trim in order to yield high-quality papayas," said Zhao Fulan, a worker at the industrial park. (Edited by Huang Junyao)