On January 17, Liu Yanju and Han Xuan, Deputy Directors of the Oil Tea Camellia Research Center of CRICATAS, accompanied by two colleagues, visited a large-scale oil tea camellia grower in Changsa town, Wenchang city, to provide technical guidance on oil tea camellia (Camellia oleifera) cultivation. The grower has established a plantation of 242 Mu of oil tea camellia trees and has adopted an intercropping system with pineapples to improve short-term economic benefits.

Oil tea camellia mixed with pineapple

Pineapple is a perennial herbaceous plant and is one of the main fruits in the tropics. Pineapple has a good adaptability to soil, because of its shallow root system and drought tolerance, suitable for intercropping with oil tea camellia. In addition, interplanting pineapple in young oil tea camellia gardens can not only improve the land utilization rate and increase economic benefits, but also increase the surface coverage rate, reduce soil erosion and water evaporation, and inhibit the growth of understory shrubs and weeds.

In response to the "Three-year Action Plan to Accelerate the Development of Oil Tea Camellia Industry (2023-2025)", to expand the area of oil tea camellia planting, to improve farmers' economic income from oil tea camellia planting, and to increase the enthusiasm of oil tea camellia planting, the Oil Tea Camellia Research Center of CRICATAS actively explores the new model of "Oil Tea Camellia+N" underforest interplanting, encourages farmers to interplant pineapple, sweet potato, peanuts and other dwarf crops under the oil tea camellia forest, and sets up expert service teams to provide practical technology for the masses, so that a piece of land can achieve "Double Harvest".

Camellia oleifera planting technical services

The new oil tea camelliavariety"Reyan No. 2" was bred by CRICATAS over 13 years, and is one of the main varieties of "Three Years of Oil Tea Camellia Action" in Hainan Province. From 2023 to 2024, "Reyan No. 2" oil tea camellia has been promoted to more than 4,000 Mu in Wenchang City, Hainan Province.

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