Xishuangbanna Emerging as Potential Late-Season Durian Source

On Sept. 16, a durian harvesting and tasting event was held at a durian plantation in the town of Menghan in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, part of Southwest China’s Yunnan province. The naturally ripened durians harvested at the plantation featured golden-yellow flesh, a smooth and delicate texture, few fibers, and a rich, layered sweetness.

Researchers from the Yunnan Academy of Forestry and Grassland and the Yunnan Institute of Tropical Crops conducted quality testing on four naturally ripened durians harvested from five-year-old trees at the plantation. The tests revealed that the highest sugar content among the samples reached 38.5%.

Li Tao, head of Xishuangbanna Jiale Agricultural Technology Co. Ltd. (西双版纳佳乐农业科技有限公司), said that the company introduced varieties including Musang King and Monthong from Thailand in 2020. Starting with 11 trial trees, the company began exploring how to adapt durian cultivation to local conditions. After years of cultivation trials and technical improvements, the three- to four-year-old Monthong trees at the plantation have gradually begun to enter the fruit-bearing stage, while the five-year-old trees are now producing fruit consistently. The highest-yielding tree has already produced 34 durians. The fruit averages 3.7 kilograms, with the heaviest weighing 8 kilograms.

The plantation currently covers 430 mu (about 29 hectares) and has more than 6,000 durian trees across five varieties, including popular cultivars such as Black Thorn, Monthong and Musang King. Some trees as young as two years old have also begun to bear fruit.

Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture currently has about 15,000 mu (1,000 hectares) of durian orchards in total, including 5,772 mu (about 385 hectares) and approximately 58,000 trees in Jinghong, the prefecture’s capital. The local fruiting season can extend until October, about one to two months later than in Southeast Asia. As the industry expands, the region could develop into a source of late-season durians.

Image: People’s Daily