Chapter 172: The Peach Garden’s Production Problem

How should I put this?

It was like Zhong Di wanting to diagnose a specific symptom. Without asking about the management process, how could he possibly know? Was he supposed to say the trees told him?

People would probably haul him off for anatomical dissection.

There were truly brilliant experts out there, with experience so explosive that a single glance, without even needing a consultation, would allow them to pinpoint the core issue.

The problem, however, was that Zhong Di was only in his early twenties, damn it!

He couldn't afford to seem too formidable—that was something Zhong Di had decided from the very beginning.

"Alright, you two go ahead and talk. I'll walk around and have a look."

Zhou Zheng breathed a sigh of relief, though even he couldn't quite figure out why he felt this way.

As long as things hadn't reached that ridiculous level, he could still maintain his dignity as the veteran in charge. Otherwise, if the kid rattled off answers one after another without even asking a single question, where would he put his aged face?

The issue with this orchard was difficult if you thought it was difficult, and simple if you thought it was simple, yet it wasn't something just anyone could diagnose.

If Zhong Di could hit the nail on the head and point out the root cause, it would prove that he possessed a certain level of genuine competence. Coupled with his previously published technical article on red dates, they could proceed with further collaboration.

Whether he wanted money, fame, or profit, Zhou Zheng could satisfy him. Compared to advancing the development of agricultural technology, those things were trivial.

Even a slight improvement could drive progress by leaps and bounds.

Take, for instance, high-end fruits that are difficult to produce. If the market demand is one thousand units, but you can only supply one, the price will naturally skyrocket.

High prices dictate that only a tiny fraction of people can enjoy them. But once production can scale up to a thousand, or even two thousand units, everyone can enjoy them.

That was the true value of making a contribution.

On the other side, Zhong Di was meticulously inquiring about the entire production process, making sure to thoroughly understand every detail related to the orchard's problems.

The fruit grower was extremely cooperative. After all, this involved hard-earned cash. Even if things had turned out this way this year and couldn't be fixed, there was always next year!

It was just like playing a video game: if you died this time, you at least needed to know where you died and why you died so you could win the next round. If you ignored everything and just kept dying the exact same way next time, how heartbreaking would that be?

It was rare to encounter someone from the Agricultural Research Institute, and judging by the situation, this young man seemed quite capable—he just looked far too young.

The grower understood the times. Age wasn't everything anymore; nowadays, some people might not be very old, but their proficiency was simply staggering.

"Old mister, I noticed your peaches look awfully greasy. You must use a lot of pesticides, right?" Zhong Di asked progressively, steering the conversation toward the topic he wanted to discuss.

This greasiness wasn't the stickiness of natural sugar; it was the residue of heavy pesticide application.

Among pesticides, there was a formulation called emulsifiable concentrate, and applying it too heavily would create precisely this condition.

Emulsifiable concentrates were a type of pesticide preparation made by dissolving a higher concentration of active ingredients in a solvent and adding an emulsifier to form a liquid.

Emulsifiable concentrates had numerous uses, such as insecticides and certain plant growth regulators. What Zhong Di wanted to get at specifically was insecticides.

"Well... although this isn't a very pleasant topic, we have to face reality. The pesticide usage in our orchard is indeed quite high, but they're all low toxicity! We haven't touched a single banned pesticide."

When Zhong Di brought up this subject, the grower visibly tensed up.

When discussing agricultural production, the absolute taboo for everyone wasn't crop yield, nor was it the amount of chemical fertilizer used—those weren't considered major issues.

Pesticides alone were the ultimate sensitive topic.

In order to protect their livelihoods, fruit growers who had no choice but to apply pesticides were everywhere. They couldn't manage without them; spray them they must.

Sometimes, growers even bought and sprayed banned pesticides, but there were specific reasons for that; it wasn't as if they actually wanted to use them.

People today were terribly picky. They wanted fruit that was large, beautiful, and delicious—in short, they wanted perfection. The moment there was the slightest blemish, they refused to buy.

Anyone who had ever worked in agriculture knew that without spraying pesticides and using adequate chemical fertilizers, top-quality fruit was exceedingly rare. If pest infestations struck on top of that, the produce would look utterly unappealing.

Since everyone only wanted to buy the good stuff, who was going to buy the subpar produce? No one would buy it; it could only be thrown away.

The growers had no alternative. They were already only making meager wages for their hard labor, and if they couldn't even sell their harvest, it would all be a complete waste. They had no choice but to spray.

Lacking professional techniques, failing to control pests effectively made management harder year after year. The resistance of the insects grew stronger annually, leading to heavier pesticide usage each passing season.

"Ah, I understand. You don't need to be nervous. Aren't we here to solve the problem? These kinds of issues have always existed."

Seeing how tense the grower was, Zhong Di felt a bit apologetic. Perhaps he should have phrased it more tactfully instead of being so blunt.

"We have no choice! If we don't spray, it's impossible. You know how ferocious pests are during peach production. They don't just eat the skin; they gnaw right into the core. If you don't spray, even if the peaches manage to grow, very few are edible. Slice one open, and it's full of worms."

"And that's not even the half of it. The workload for peach trees is immense, and the middlemen offer pitifully low purchase prices, squeezing us lower every single year. If the trees weren't already so big and I weren't so attached to them, I would have chopped them down long ago to plant something else."

At first, the grower was just discussing relevant farming matters, but as he went on, he simply started venting his grievances.

Looking at the grower's weathered face, Zhong Di was reminded of his own father's helplessness when growing dates, and a quiet ache tugged at his heart.

It wasn't that these people weren't working hard; they simply lacked the right direction.

Take these production techniques—proper, professional techniques—who was willing to share them openly and teach everyone? They were all figured out through endless trial and error.

Aside from that factor, there was also geographical variation. A cultivation model that worked in one region might completely fail the moment you tried it somewhere else.

In other industries, big data was extremely useful, but in agriculture, no one actually farmed using big data; data only served the purpose of understanding and analysis.

"I know, I was just asking because this is crucial," Zhong Di emphasized, reassuring him that he didn't care whether he sprayed pesticides or whether it might cause other adverse effects.

If customers actually found out, they probably wouldn't buy these peaches at all.

The vast majority of peaches were actually fine; orchards with heavy pest infestations like this one were still in the minority.

Regardless of the situation, however, growing peaches truly was impossible without spraying.

"I probably use quite a lot of chemicals. In my orchard, aside from red spiders and aphids, there are also heart-boring mites. The fruit looks completely fine on the outside, but the moment you open it up, it's full of bugs. Peaches like that simply cannot be sold."

"That's why, starting right from when the peaches are set, we have to spray. During the first expansion phase, the second expansion phase, and after every irrigation—we have to spray every time. Most of our hard labor goes into spraying."

"What chemicals do you use?"

"Abamectin, pyridaben, deltamethrin, copper hydroxide..."

Good grief, the variety of chemicals he used was truly comprehensive! He was frantically spraying whatever he could get his hands on, regardless of what it was. It would be a miracle if problems didn't arise.

Just from these names alone, it was evident that the old man's foundational agricultural knowledge was exceedingly weak.