The national key research and development program project titled "Research, Development, and Application of a Smart, Efficient, and Green Production Technology System for Oil-bearing Walnuts" has successfully passed the inspection.
2025/10/29
On October 22, the on-site inspection meeting for the national key R&D project titled "Research, Development, and Application of a Smart, Efficient, and Green Production Technology System for Oil-bearing Walnuts" was held at the Woody Grain and Oil Forest Farm in Wensu County. Led by the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the project is jointly implemented with the Intelligent Equipment Technology Research Center of the Beijing Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, the Institute of Forestry Research at the Chinese Academy of Forestry Sciences, and the Wensu County Woody Grain and Oil Forest Farm. The project successfully passed the on-site inspection by an expert panel, marking a significant milestone as China achieves a phased breakthrough in key technologies for oil-bearing walnut processing.
Addressing critical issues in Xinjiang’s oil-use walnut industry—such as irregular production management, lack of cultivation techniques and equipment, and low levels of smart and information technology integration—research teams from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Academy of Agricultural Sciences and other institutions have conducted studies and demonstrations on intelligent, high-efficiency walnut cultivation techniques at the Woody Oilseed and Grain Forest Farm in Wensu County, Aksu Prefecture, a major walnut-producing area in Xinjiang. As a result, a 1,100-acre integrated demonstration base for smart, high-efficiency oil-use walnut cultivation has been established.
After three years of dedicated efforts and breakthroughs, the team successfully developed an innovative, integrated system of smart, efficient, and eco-friendly production technologies. Key core technologies—including simplified pruning, intelligent water-fertilizer integration, and green pest control—have demonstrated remarkable effectiveness, boosting walnut yields by 8.53% per mu while simultaneously reducing production costs by 17.65%. This has translated into an average income increase of nearly 800 yuan per mu. Currently, this advanced technology has been scaled up for demonstration and promotion across 120,000 mu in southern Xinjiang.
The demonstration base has integrated intelligent equipment such as pest monitoring systems, smart weather stations, and precision-targeted pesticide applicators to build a smart production management platform for oil-use walnuts. This platform enables precise control over every stage of walnut orchard cultivation. Notably, a simplified pruning technique boosts operational efficiency by 30% compared to conventional methods, while the smart integrated water-fertilizer system reduces water and fertilizer usage by 10%-15% relative to traditional approaches. Additionally, the pest monitoring system achieves an accuracy rate of over 90% in identifying key pests like the cotton bollworm and codling moth.
The project's achievements have now entered the stage of large-scale demonstration and promotion. Data shows that in 2025, the示范基地 (demonstration base) achieved a yield of 380.99 kilograms per mu, representing an 8.53% increase compared to 2022, before the project was implemented. Meanwhile, the rate of empty nut shells dropped to just 3.8%. By integrating and applying key technologies, the project has helped reduce production costs—such as labor, water, and fertilizer—by more than 300 yuan per mu, resulting in a cost-saving efficiency of 17.65%. As a result, farmers have seen their income rise by nearly 800 yuan per mu on average.
As of now, the project has established two standardized demonstration bases, each spanning over 1,000 mu, in Wensu County and Yecheng County. Collectively, the technology has been demonstrated and promoted across more than 120,000 mu in areas such as Aksu and Kashgar, while also conducting 35 technical training sessions that have trained over 2,600 farmers. This initiative has provided robust scientific and technological support for the transformation and upgrading of Xinjiang's walnut industry, as well as for rural revitalization efforts. With the continued expansion and application of this advanced technology system, Xinjiang's oil-use walnut industry will steadily inject new momentum into boosting farmers' incomes and driving regional economic growth. 。
