A farmer in Guyang county of Baotou city in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region smiles amid fields of harvested astragalus at the demonstration area. [Photo/Baotou news network]

A team of experts from Baotou city recently conducted an actual yield assessment in the Green and High-Yield Astragalus Planting Demonstration Area of Guyang county.

The results showed the fresh astragalus yield per mu (0.07 hectares) has reached 1,198 kilograms, marking an impressive 550 kg increase per mu compared to non-project areas. This has set a new record for single-yield fresh astragalus production in the city.

The demonstration project has been focusing on refining and rejuvenating the astragalus planting varieties, addressing issues such as low seedling emergence rates and the poor quality of local seedlings. It accelerated the standardization of astragalus cultivation in Guyang.

"With guidance from agricultural experts, our cooperative independently nurtured the astragalus. The biennial astragalus not only has lower production costs but also exhibits exceptional quality, with a maximum length of up to 80 centimeters and a diameter of 2 centimeters. This has led to higher purchase prices," said Zhang Yongli, head of the Dadi Nongfeng Farmers' Professional Cooperative in Guyang.

The cooperative is responsible for the astragalus demonstration project. The per mu income from cultivating astragalus has significantly increased, with preliminary calculations indicating an income of over 9,580 yuan ($1,317) per mu and a net profit of over 6,580 yuan.

Astragalus cultivation in Guyang has a planting history of 60 years and has been recognized as a "Distinctive Agricultural and Livestock Product of Inner Mongolia."

Baotou has prioritized astragalus as a key specialty crop for economic development. This year, the city's astragalus planting area reached 158,900 mu, making it the largest in Inner Mongolia.