4. GRAPE PRODUCTION IN CHINA

Li Shao-Hua*

*Professor, Department of Fruit Science, College of Horticulture, Academic Affairs Office, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100094, People’s Republic of China.

Grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) have been grown in China for more than 2000 years. However, grape production was negligible until the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The area under cultivation of grapes and their production were only about 3,200 hectares and 39,000 tonnes, respectively. The government paid great attention to improvement of the quality of life of the people after the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Following rapid economic growth, fruit production, including grape production increased rapidly in the country, especially since the 1980’s. The land area under grapes and their production in 1998 were respectively estimated to be 55.6 and 60.5 times greater than in 1949. This paper presents the current status of grape cultivation, the development of the wine industry, advances in cultural techniques, the potential for expansion, and some suggestions for the future development of grape production and the wine industry in China.

2. PRESENT STATUS OF GRAPE CULTIVATION IN CHINA

Following apple, citrus, pear and banana, grape production now ranks fifth in fruit production in the People’s Republic of China. The area under vineyards was estimated to be 178,000 hectares in 1998. To examine the evolution of the area under cultivation of grapes after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, two rapid development periods can be observed during the eighties and last few years of the last century. The land area under cultivation of grapes increased steadily from 31,600 to 146,000 hectares during the first rapid development period from 1980 to 1988, with an average increase of about 14,300 hectares per year. Then the grape extents decreased from 1989 to about 24,000 hectares in the following 3 years. Under the influence of the “red wine rush” in the Asian countries, grape growing again became the focus of people’s attention in China from the early nineties. Thus, the area under cultivation of grapes continued to increase again from 1992 to 20,200 hectares by 1998 (about 15 percent more when compared with that of 1997). The area for the other four main fruit crops, however, decreased by 216,800 hectares for apple, 5,540 hectares for pear and 39,000 hectares for citrus.

The annual grape production has increased steadily for the last 20 years. It attained 2,358200 tonnes in 1998, 18.7 times more than in 1979. Most of this production was for table grapes and only about 10 percent for wine making and another 10 percent for raisins. The main areas of expansion are located in the north. The five leading provinces that contributed more than two thirds of the total grape production in the country in 1998 were Xingjiang, Hebei, Shangdong, Liaoning and Henan (Table 1).

Table 1. Main Grape-Growing Regions and their Production, 1998

Province	Vineyard Area		Grape Production
	1000 ha	% of the Country total	1000 tonnes	% of the Country total
Xingjiang	32.0	18.0	555.4	23.6
Hebei	31.5	17.7	404.4	17.1
Shangdong	20.9	11.7	269.0	11.4
Liaoning	14.2	8.0	275.6	11.7
Henan	11.3	6.3	153.0	6.5
Total in China	178.0	100	2358.2	100

Source of Data: China: Yearbook, Agriculture, 1999

Table 2. Development of Wine Production in China from 1949-1997 (the production before 1979 is estimated by converting all alcoholic beverages which are wine or part of which are originating from grape juice).

Year	1949-1950	1954-1955	1959-1960	1964-1965	1969-1970	1974-1975	1979-1980	1984-1985	1989-1990	1994-1995	1997
Average/Year (1000 t)	0.085	0.72	4.12	9.50	12.0	21.8	26.7	119.1	269.2	235.4	195.0

Following a rapid growth in wine production, most of the provinces are now engaged in the industry. More than 400 wine companies and wineries were established in 26 provinces and municipalities operating directly under the Central Government at the end of 1997. The six leading provinces or municipalities which produced more than 10,000 tonnes of wine in 1997 were Shandong (65,500 t), Hebei (23,600 t), Tianjing (17,000 t), Beijing (16,400 t), Anhui (15,700 t) and Henan (14,600 t). The major areas for growing wine grapes, however, are essentially located in the North of China, such as in the Northeast, including Bohai Bay, Shacheng and Changli (Hebei), Qingxu (Shanxi), Yinchuan (Ningxia), Wuwei (Gansu), Tulufan Basin (Xinjiang), Shihezi (Xinjiang), as well as the ancient course of the Yellow River valley and Yunnan Maitraya.

Among hundreds of grape varieties grown in China, the following are the more important, from an economic point of view:

Table grapes: Niunai (Cow’s Nipples), Kyoho, Muscat Hamburg, Thompson Seedless, Longyan (Dragon Eyes) Jingxiu, Zana, Rizamat, Fenghuang No 51, Red globe, Jingzhaojing, Jingyu, Italia and Fujiminori.

Wine Grapes: The main varieties for white wine are Chardonnay, Italian Riesling, Ugni blanc, Chenin blanc, Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon blanc, Semillon, White Riesling and Rkatsiteli. The main varieties for red wine are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet franc, Merlot, French blue, Muscat Hamburg, Pinot noir, Syrah, Carignan and Saperavi.

3. PRODUCTION OF PLANTING MATERIAL

China is fortunate in not having any phylloxera pest problems. Most of the grape planting material used in the country is therefore propagated by cuttings. In some cold areas, however, vines are grafted on cold-resistant rootstocks, such as Beta (a probable hybrid between Vitis riparia and V. labrusca) and lines from Vitis amurensis.

4. ESTABLISHMENT OF ORCHARDS

Thorough preparation of the land is essential for successful establishment and good vine growth during the first two to three years because of poor organic matter status in the soil. The land is trenched to a width of 0.6 to 1 m and a depth of 0.8 to 1 m. The distance between the trenches depends on the distance between rows. The soil is mixed with organic matter or other fertilizer and filled back into the trenches before planting.

Young plants are set out in the vineyard in late autumn or early spring before growth begins. The planting season of vines depends upon the climate of the region. To reduce the risk of frost, vines have to be planted in early spring in most areas of north China where it is very cold in winter, while they may be planted in late autumn in the Valley of Yangtze River. The plant spacings used for grapes vary depending on the regions and the training systems. Table 3 presents the general information on the spacing and density used for establishing a new vineyard. Planting density varies from about 1,000 to 5,000 vines per hectare.

Table 3. General Suggestions for Plant Densities to be used for the Establishment of New Vineyards

Region	Trellis Form	Spacing between Rows (m)	Spacing in the Row (m)	Density Vines per ha
North China	Pergola	4.5-5.5	0.75-1.0	1818-2963
	Vertical Trellis	2.5-3.0	0.8-1.5	2222-5000
South China	Pergola	5.0-6.0	1.0-1.5	1111-2000
	Vertical Trellis	3.0	1.0-2.0	1666-3333

5. CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF VINEYARDS

Pergola and vertical trellis are the more popular forms of training used for grape growing in China. The popular training systems in the north are the multi-arm fan system with no trunk used for vertical trellis and the dragon system with a strong permanent cordon where grapevines usually need to be ‘heeled’ in winter. In south China or in the regions where grapevines need not be heeled in winter, the vertical trellis is frequently used. The multi-arm fan system with a strong trunk, the bilateral cordon system with two strong horizontal cordons, the standard T bar system and the umbrella system are the most commonly used training systems.

Pruning is one of the important aspects of vine management to obtain consistently good yields and fruit quality each growing season. Dormant pruning is done in late autumn or winter before the growth begins. The one-year-old hardwood cuttings can be left as fruiting canes and are cut back to 5 to 9 buds, and sometimes to more than 10 buds if the “cane pruning” technique is used. For the hardwood cuttings to obtain renewal shoots, they have to be cut back to 2 to 4 buds. Summer pruning is done during early growing season by thinning and pinching.

Several fertilizer applications are usually carried per year in most vineyards. In general, three or four applications of chemical fertilizers are applied after bud break, at flowering, during rapid growth of young fruit, and during the maturation of grape berries. Nitrogenous and phosphorous fertilizer are usually supplied for the first two or three applications while only potash fertilizer is used during the maturation of berries. Moreover, a high quantity of manure (more than 30 t) is often applied after harvest or in late autumn. The last manure application is very important for obtaining a high grape quality because of the rather low content of organic matter in the soil.

China’s continental climate produces hot, usually rainy summers, and very dry and cold winters. It is therefore necessary to supply supplementary irrigation for growing grapes in most regions. Two supplies of irrigation, one before the vines are heeled and the other one after bud break are obligatory to have a normal growth of the vines and to obtain a good yield. Irrigation is not recommended one to two months before harvest, especially for wine grapes. The climatic conditions are very variable in China. For example, it is very hot and humid in summer in the Yangtze valley, but very dry in the region of Xingjiang. Diseases are therefore, found to be different from one region to another. The main grape diseases in China are given in Table 4 according to their incidence in the various regions.

A few insects can endanger grape production in commercial vineyards. Main grape insects are the comstock mealy bug (Pseudococcus comstocki Kuwanna), scale (Parthenolecanium cormi Borchs), grape leafhopper (Erythroneura apicalis Nawa), grape horn worn (Ampelophaga rubiginosa Bremer et Grey), boston ivy tiger-moth (Seudyra subflava Moore), grape leaf beetle (Oides decempunctata Bilberg), grape erinose mite (Colomerus vitis Pagenstecher), grape bunch mite (Brevipalpus lewisi McGregor), grape clear wing moth (Paranthrene regalis Butler) and grape borer (Xylotrechus pyrrhoderus Bates).

Table 4. Main Grape Diseases Occurring on a Region-Wise Basis

Name	Causal Organism	Main Regions where the Disease Occurs
Anthracnose	Elsinoe ampelina (de Bary) Shear	In rainy, humid regions, especially in South China.
Downy Mildew	Plasmopara viticola (Berk. et Curt) Berl. et De Toni	In all regions of China
White Rot	Coniothyrium diplogiella (Sperg.) Sacc.	In all regions of China
Bitter Rot	Glomerella cingulata (Ston.) Spaul. et Schr.	In all regions of China
Powdery Mildew	Uncinula necator (Schw.) Bur.	In the regions of dry and hot summers, especially in North China
Grey Mold	Botrytis cinerea Persoon	In Hebei, Shandong, Sichun, Shanghai.
Dead Arm	Cryptosporella viticola (Reddick) Shear	In regions of the Northwest, Beijing, Tianjing, Hebei.
Brown Spot	Pseudocercospora vitis (Lev) Speg.	In all regions of China, especially in rainy year.
Axle Blotch	Physalospora bacoae Cavalra	In Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Liaoning, Jiangsu, Guangdong
Rust	Phakopsora ampelopsidis Diet. et syd	In Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichun, Yunnan, Jiangsu.
Crown Gall	Agrobacterium rumefaciens (Smith et Towns) Conn.	Especially in Hebei, Beijing, Tiangjing, and the Northeast region.

6. HARVESTING AND YIELDS

Only several years ago, grape yields were very high in China, especially in the case of table grapes. Many growers obtained very high yields, as much as 40 to 60 t/ha, and sometimes up to 100 t/ha, but obviously at the expense of grape quality. Consequently, sugar content in the grapes was too low to be used for wine making and table grapes were non-marketable or sold at very low prices. In recent years, growers paid more attention to grape quality than to yield. The productivity is now severely controlled in most vineyards. The grapevines usually enter into bearing in the second or third year after planting and mature vines may produce 20 to 30 tonnes per hectare in irrigated vineyards in order to obtain a higher quality of grapes. The general information is given in Table 5 with respect to the date of harvest and the quality characteristics of wine grapes produced in North China (in Pindu, Shandong province).

Table 5. Harvest Date and General Quality of some Wine Grapes Produced in Pindu (Shandong Province)

Cultivar	Harvest Date Day/Month	Sugar (Brix)	Acids (%)	pH
Chardonnay	3/9	20	7.1	3.11
Italian Risling	3/9	18	7.2	3.09
Chenin Blanc	23/9	23	8.0
Cabernet Franc	2/10	24	8.0
Cabernet Sauvignon	2/10	23	8.2
Merlot	2/10	24	7.4	3.20
Syrach	22/9	20	8.5	3.00
Gamay Noir	22/9	21	8.0
Gewurztraminer	6/9	21	6.0	3.25
Sauvignon Blanc	4/9	21	8.2	3.08
Pinot Noir	22/8	16.5	7.7	3.15

Source: Zhusheng Dong, 1992

Most fruits produced in China are traded in the national marketing system. The volume of exported fruits is very small, averaging about 600,000 tonnes per year or 1.2 percent of total national production (Table 6). The situation with regard to grape marketing is the same as for other fruits. 650 tonnes of grapes and 1,100 tonnes of raisins were exported in 1997. This volume of grape exports ranks sixth in fruit exports of the People’s Republic of China following apples, citrus, pears, bananas and peaches (nectarines included). However, the volume of grapes imported is much more significant if compared with that exported. Nearly 4800 tones of grapes were imported in 1997, some 7.4 times more than that exported. This import was essentially from USA and most of these grapes imported were the Red globe variety. With regard to raisins imported into China, the volume is less than that exported. Nearly 460 tonnes of raisins were imported in 1997, which amounted to about half of that exported.

Table 6. Fruit Exports and Imports in China (1997)

Fruit Crop	Export			Import
	Volume (x1000t)	Value (x1000US$)	Price (US$/kg)	Volume (x1000t)	Value (x1000US$)	Price (US$/kg)
Apples	188.4	77441.7	0.411	11.5	3493.6	0.308
Citrus (oranges, Tangerines etc.)	223.1	7584.00	0.340	13.8	3926.7	0.285
Pears	120.0	52579.3	0.438	0.37	126.1	0.341
Bananas	14.7	5364.3	0.365	549.6	146410.4	0.266
Peaches and Nectarines	3.7	1115.2	0.301	0.016	5.7	0.356
Grapes	0.65	226.0	0.348	4.8	2221.9	0.463
Raisins	1.1	1496.0	1.36	0.46	386.9	0.841
Kiwifruits	0.016	33.0	2.062	0.88	554.3	0.630
Litchis	4.8	6216.3	1.295	1.8	699.9	0.389
Total	601.6	234018.9	0.389	640.4	175694.4	0.274

8. POTENTIAL FOR GRAPE PRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT

As described above, the establishment of vineyards in China is different from that of other countries in the world and most of the grape production is for table grapes. Although the wine industry has made rapid progress in recent years, the per capita production of wine remains small, as low as about 0.2 L per person. This production is far below the average wine consumption in the world (about 7 L per person) and does not satisfy the current consumption requirements of the Chinese people. This deficiency in production has resulted in the following situation in the country.

Firstly, many new wine companies and wineries have sprung up like mushrooms in recent years. There were about 240 wine companies and wineries by 1995, after a development phase spanning over a century in China, but an additional 200 wine companies and wineries were founded only during 1996 and 1997. The wine production capacity was almost doubled during these two years, mostly in Hebei, Shandong, Yunnan, Gansu, Ningxia, and Guangdong. Secondly, the area under cultivation of grapes increased rapidly all over the country, especially during the last two or three years. This rise in the cultivated area was essentially for wine grapes. Lastly, China experienced a sharp increase in wine imports, especially from European countries, with nearly 5,900 tonnes of wines being imported into China in 1996, which amounted to 7.7 times more than that of 1995. Import of wines continued to increase during the following years, exceeding 39,670 tonnes in 1997 and 49,840 tonnes in 1998.

The change in consumption habits of alcoholic beverages in modern China resulted in the above phenomenon. Chinese have a tradition of consuming alcoholic beverages, especially drinking of spirits distilled from sorghum and maize. This habit has been changing since the 1970’s. Beer production in tonnage was more than 50 percent of the national alcoholic beverage production by the end of the 1980’s. Since the early 1990’s, consumption of wines has become a trend of the times. More and more people consumed wine instead of spirits and the demand for wine will continue to increase in the following years. China has, therefore, a high potential for grape development, especially for the wine industry. It is absolutely certain that the area under cultivation of grapes will continue to increase in the coming years. The margin between wine production and demand is still very wide. Nearly nine millions tonnes of wine would be required per year to satisfy the current national requirements if the average consumption of wine reaches that of world per capita consumption.

9. CONSTRAINTS IN GRAPE PRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT

After continuous rapid development during the past twenty years, China has achieved great success in grape production. However, some problems arose at the same time as this rapid development of grape production in the country. Some of the salient problems have to be resolved if the country is to have a steady development of the grape industry in the future. Much more attention should therefore be paid to grape and wine quality rather than productivity, although the latter has been much improved during the last 10 years. Long-term planning for grape development in the whole country must be carried out in identifying new varieties, locating growing regions for new vineyards, and developing strategies for increasing production and processing into wine. Production of planting material has to be controlled by the Government for quality control purposes. Following the rapid increase of area under cultivation of grapes, it has been difficult to control the quality of plants by the Government. Moreover, many plants were imported mainly from European countries, such as 4.5 million cuttings from France in 1998. Monitoring the health of materials has therefore become a new problem for the grape industry in China. Both the grape production and wine industries need to be supported by the Government, research institutions and foreign companies with equipment, investments and advanced technologies.

10. GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND PLANS FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ON GRAPES

The Government of China has paid considerable attention to grape production and winery development since the founding of the Peoples Republic of China. Two national grape germplasm repositories were set up at Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute of the China Academy of Agricultural Sciences (located at Zhengzhou, Henan province) and at the Institute of Fruit Research of Shanxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences (located at Taigu, Shanxi province). More than 1,300 varieties were collected in these two national grape germplasm repositories. Some varieties of grapes, mainly for table grapes, have been developed at the same time by Chinese researchers and breeders. Some of the popular Chinese varieties which have been cultivated or are being popularized are listed below:

Table Grapes: Zaomeigui, Zhengzhuo Zaohong, Fenghuang No 51, Jing Zaojing, Shangdong Zaohong, Jingxiu, Jingya, Zizhenxiang, Shengxiu, Jingyu, Fenghou;

Wine grapes: Beichun, Gongliang No 1, Shuangyou, Zuoshan No 1.

Moreover, many significant research findings have been made on identifying suitable agro-climatic zones for growing grapes (especially for wine grapes). Propagation of materials (including micro-propagation techniques), establishment of vineyards, training systems and pruning methods, fertilization and irrigation management, grape quality improvement, and table grape storage are some of the significant advances made in grape research.

The wine production in China is estimated to be over 300,000 tonnes by the year 2000. According to the wine consumption patterns in the last few years, the Government plans to achieve an annual increase of 50,000 tonnes in wine production in the coming 10 years. This means that China would produce 800,000 tonnes by 2010 and about 3,000 to 4,000 ha of wine grapes must be established each year in the future. In order to satisfy this increase of wine production in China, some emphasis would have to be made by the Government on controlling quality of planting material (by establishing “the Propagation Centre for Grape Materials”), planning a long-term programme for table grape and wine production in the whole country. The establishment of a wine grape industry and increasing the rate of the development of grape production by training farmers and controlling grape quality and wine quality are some of the important aspects of this strategy.

11. CONCLUSIONS

In the past 20 years, China has achieved great success in viticulture development. Grape production has increased sharply (in 1998 it was 22.7 times more than in 1978) and the quality of grapes has improved very much. China has still a great potential for developing viticulture and the wine industry. The area under cultivation of grapes and their production will continue to increase in the next few years. However, the emphasis on production development of wine grapes will be more rapid when compared to table grapes.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The author is grateful to Professor G.G. Luo (China Agricultural University) for his valuable suggestions and critical review of the manuscript and Mr. X.B. Wang (Agriculture Ministry) for providing valuable documents and information.