May 23

In the morning, we went to visit the Jiangsu Academy of Ag. Science, JAAS. Here, they have a germplasm program for peach and strawberry production. It was surprising that in their peach breeding program, they individually bag each peach to prevent damage to it, such as by insects or the sun. This sounds like a huge labor expense, and probably only possible in a low-wage paying country like China. Each tree yields about 250-300 peaches per season! As far as the strawberries, they have over 500 varieties! I even got to try a few, they were very small and soft, but especially sweet.

See the peaches individually bagged!

Bagged peaches as far as the eyes can see!

     

In the afternoon, we went to Nanjing Ag. University to visit with students. The campus was very nice, with huge trees lining the walkways providing a much welcomed reprieve from the sun. We had a great time chatting with the students. They were so friendly, and so happy to meet us! They seem especially focused and hardworking. They have long school hours, and lots of work so do not have much free time.