Sweet orange is a local fine variety selected from the variation of ordinary sweet orange in the 1960s. It is named because of its high sugar content, commonly known as rock sugar bubble or rock sugar orange. In the mid-to-late 1980s, Mayang county introduced the World Bank loan and began to develop on a large scale. The current planting area has reached more than 60,000 mu, and the annual output is more than 40,000 tons. After years of continuous purification and selection and high-quality cultivation research, under the special natural conditions of Mayang County such as geography, soil, climate, water quality, etc., it is highly praised by Hu Yaobang, the former General Secretary of CPC Central Committee. “Mayang brand” Bingtang sweet orange is more beautiful in appearance and much higher in quality. It has been tested by the Ministry of Agriculture’s citrus and seedling quality supervision, inspection and testing center. It is an excellent product and is unique in China. In 2001, Mayang Bingtang sweet orange won the Gold Award of the Third Hunan Agricultural Expo. The product market covers a wide range. It is sold to more than 100 large and medium-sized cities such as Shanghai, Guangzhou, Kunming, Wuhan, Beijing and Chongqing, as well as the regions of Hong Kong and Macao. It is also sold in Russia, Mongolia, Vietnam and other countries, hence “the hometown of Chinese Bingtang sweet orange”.

Mayang sweet orange is spherical, with a neat and smooth shape and a yellow-red and bright color. A single orange weighs 156.5 grams, with 6.51x6.83 cm in vertical and horizontal diameters, 0.95 for the fruit shape index, 12.3% up to 15.8% in solubility Solids. Each 100 ml of fruit juice contains 7.04 grams of reducing sugar, 11.08 grams of invert sugar, 10.88 grams of total sugar, 0.26 grams of total acid, 36.36 mg of vitamin C, 41.1:1 of sugar-acid ratio, 47.3:1 of solid-acid ratio, 59.4% of fruit juice rate, and 70.6% of edible rate. They are all seedless or coreless, but rich in calcium, boron, iron, zinc and other trace elements. They mature in mid and late November, with tender meat, sweet flavor, and refreshing fragrance.

Mayang sweet orange has excellent color and fragrance, rich fruit juice and impressive flavor. It is suitable for fresh consumption. In addition to containing a lot of sugar, organic acids and minerals, it is also rich in vitamin C and has high nutritional value. And it is of great help to regulate Qi and reduce blood pressure, thus improving eyesight and diuresis. Moreover, the peel, tangerine network, seeds and leaves can be of medicinal use, and the flowers can be smoked to make scented tea.

(Translated by Tian Xia)