Judging from the current international and domestic situation, walnut planting is a promising planting project. Northwest China, North China, Qinba Mountain Area, Jinsha River Basin and Western Sichuan Plateau are all very suitable areas for planting walnuts, especially the northwest area is the most suitable for developing walnuts. From the international market, before the mid-1970s, 60% of walnuts were produced in China. At present, there are more than 60 varieties of walnuts in China, and the planting range is very wide. From the domestic market, the total output of walnuts is only 250 million kilograms at present, and the health care function of walnuts is increasingly prominent. Since the 1980s, the price of walnuts has increased year by year.

The main reasons for the continuous increase of walnut market price in recent years

First, the demand in the domestic consumer market has expanded. Walnut is one of the four dried fruits. With the development of economy, its nutrition and health care function is recognized and accepted by more and more consumers, and the consumption is increasing year by year. Second, the rise of walnut processing industry, walnut kernel can be made into a variety of foods, and the health care function of walnut oil has been paid more and more attention and applied. Even walnut shells have been developed into a variety of uses, and the demand for widely used walnuts is increasing. Third, the demand in the international market has increased. The output of walnuts in China accounts for more than 60% of the world. Walnuts have many varieties, a wide geographical area and high quality, and enjoy a high reputation in the international market. It is mainly exported to Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Syria, Singapore, Kuwait and other countries and regions all the year round, and the export volume is increasing year by year. Fourthly, the main producing areas in the north, especially Shaanxi, Gansu, Shanxi and Hebei, suffered from late frost and freezing injury to varying degrees over the years, especially in the spring of 2005 and 2006, which seriously affected some areas and walnut production, and some even failed to harvest in a large area, making the market supply and demand unbalanced, which is also one of the main factors for the sustained high price. Fifthly, walnut is an easy-to-plant, well-managed economic tree species, which is very suitable as a tree species choice for returning farmland to forests and soil erosion control projects. It can not only be used as a project, but also increase people's income. The enthusiasm and participation of the people are very high, which has warmed up the situation of walnuts to some extent.

Problems needing attention in developing walnut

One is the blind pursuit of new varieties. At present, more than a dozen main walnut varieties approved by China have very good performance ability in the local area. No matter from the aspects of quality, yield and stress resistance, after careful research by scientific research departments at all levels in China, good varieties can obtain good economic, social and ecological benefits as long as they are combined with practical cultivation management. However. Affected by the excellent situation of the current walnut market, ordinary people and group investors still lack understanding in choosing walnut varieties, thinking that as long as they are new varieties, they do not know that after a long period of natural selection, the adaptability of walnut varieties has great regional differences. For example, Yangbi Walnut in Yunnan can't overwinter safely in the north, Akesu Walnut in Xinjiang is generally not full of late-maturing nuts in the mainland, and Northern Walnut shows a large number of rotten fruits in the rainy season in the south. Some farmers blindly follow up, causing unnecessary losses. According to the current requirements of walnut production, we should first choose the main varieties suitable for local planting, which should be suitable for local natural conditions and immediate economic and social conditions, and the improved varieties should be matched well to ensure high quality, high yield and high efficiency.

Second, one-sided pursuit of early maturity and early results. As the saying goes, "peach three, apricot four, pear five years, want to eat walnut nine years", that is to say, it takes about nine years to bear fruit after walnut planting. Although experts have studied that grafting seedling can shorten the fruiting time after walnut planting, it is still necessary to make efforts in cultivating crowns and trees to ensure high and stable yield of walnuts. Without strong and lush trees, it is impossible to obtain high yield and walnuts grow slowly. A lush crown needs a certain number of years. Grafted seedlings can bear fruit two or three years after planting, but because of their small size, poor resistance and low yield, the results are meaningless, and blind pursuit of early fruit will shorten the service life of walnut trees. At present, early-maturing walnut varieties can bear fruit earlier after grafting, but the economic utilization period will not exceed 20 years. Late-maturing varieties bear fruit in the third and fourth years after planting, with high yield, strong stress resistance and long economic utilization period. High yield and early maturity, high yield and high quality have always been objective contradictions in walnut production. It is suggested that all localities choose varieties purposefully according to local natural, economic and social conditions to avoid passivity.

Thirdly, it usually takes about eight years for seedlings to bear fruit, and the degradation of varieties, quality and yield have restricted the development of walnuts. In recent years, grafted walnut seedlings have developed rapidly. After the grafted seedlings are planted, it can not only bear fruit early, but also ensure the quality and yield of varieties, which is beyond doubt. Therefore, walnut grafted seedlings have increasingly become the first choice for farmers to develop walnut industry. However, the high content, difficulty and high cost of walnut pure grafting seedling technology also restricted the development of walnut to some extent. In recent years, researchers have worked hard to overcome one seedling problem after another, but it is still affected by degree factors, so it is difficult to popularize authentic walnut grafting seedling technology. This has created an opportunity for some lawless elements in the walnut seedling market. A considerable number of seedling farmers do not raise seedlings according to the strict norms of variety grafting, but adopt various means to make fake grafted seedlings, causing undue losses to farmers. It is suggested that farmers should not think that it is no problem to hear that they are grafted seedlings when selecting seedlings. In fact, there are many fake grafted seedlings on the market at present, mainly including "grafting on this rootstock", "grafting on top", "scraping with a meat cleaver" and "neighbors grafting on each other". And pure grafted seedlings must have regular cutting nursery, suitable nursery, good grafting nursery, skilled grafting team and so on. When farmers choose, they should choose those professional seedling bases that are secure and powerful to buy seedlings.

Fourth, planting is more important than management, and comprehensive utilization is not understood. Most people think walnuts are lazy and easy to preserve. As long as you plant it, you'll be fine, waiting to collect money. This is a wrong idea. Walnut, as a traditional economic tree species, has a long cultivation history in China. The broad masses of people have summarized a series of cultivation management experiences, and researchers have made unremitting efforts. The cultivation techniques of walnut are also changing with each passing day, adapting to the changes of varieties, social and economic conditions. Therefore, before developing walnuts, we must understand the purpose of planting. Therefore, it is suggested that farmers should not pay more attention to these aspects. First, walnut should be chosen as a tree species as far as possible in the project of returning farmland to forests and controlling soil erosion in Huangshan, and other mountainous areas and dry slopes with limited agronomy should be planted. Many people see that the market price of walnuts is high and the benefits are good, so they blindly choose to plant walnuts in the originally flat paddy field. Remember the saying "walnuts don't make a forest" and pay attention to this. Secondly, rational planning and utilization, preferably suitable for agriculture, forest and animal husbandry, and comprehensive development and utilization of the ground and underground to increase income. It is necessary to comprehensively consider the factors such as plant spacing, planting density, future plant type, variety collocation, intercropping and interplanting. Finally, the cultivation of improved varieties and good methods should be matched, and attention should be paid to park management, plastic pruning, water and fertilizer management and pest control.

Walnut is an excellent dried fruit tree species and a very traditional tree species, which is suitable for farmers' development. However, it is not suitable for the development of all farmers, nor is it suitable for planting in all areas, nor is it just a matter of everything. Proper variety, rational planning, scientific management, comprehensive utilization and long-term development are the main and effective ways for walnut development in the future.

(I am original)