November to late spring, around February, pruning is essential for grafted seedlings that are planted in a short and dry natural form. These young trees do not require any complex shaping or plastic surgery. The main goal of pruning is to remove dead, diseased, or overlapping branches, as well as overly dense, drooping, or crossing branches. Short and old branches should be cut back to encourage the growth of new, vigorous shoots that can develop into fruiting branches. Planting grafted seedlings at a spacing of 4 meters by 5 meters is recommended. For non-grafted seedlings, the spacing is usually 5 meters by 6 meters or 7 meters by 8 meters. To ensure proper pollination, one male tree per 15–20 female trees should be planted. For long-term intercropping with other crops or economic plants, wide belts with a row spacing of 8 meters and an in-row spacing of 4–5 meters are ideal. Trees are often planted along roads, village edges, irrigation channels, and riverbanks. In parks and factories, ginkgo trees are also used as ornamental garden trees, offering both beauty and practical benefits. When planting, dig holes measuring 80 cm in width and 60 cm in depth. Each hole should be filled with 50 kg of organic fertilizer (such as compost or manure), plus 0.5 kg of superphosphate. In early spring, around March, large ginkgo trees (with a yield of about 50 kg of seeds) should receive 100 kg of well-rotted manure or human waste, along with 2 kg of urea and 2 kg of superphosphate per tree. This fertilization helps promote the formation of female flowers, flowering, and seed development. Seed sowing is commonly practiced, with seeds spaced 20–25 cm apart and 8–10 cm within rows. About 60–70 kg of seeds per acre are sown, resulting in approximately 15,000 seedlings emerging. Young saplings under 10 years old are typically cut and soaked in fresh water for 16 hours before being planted, ensuring a 100% survival rate. Using cuttings and grafting allows the preservation of desirable traits from the female parent and promotes earlier fruiting. Ginkgo grafting includes two main methods: large anvil grafting and seedling grafting. Seedlings grafted with small seedlings are usually 1–2 years old, and the scions are taken from 1–3-year-old branches. The thickness of the scion should match that of the rootstock. Common techniques include cut grafts, splice grafts, cleft grafts, and bud grafting. Small rootstocks can also be used for bud grafting, which can lead to fruiting 2–3 years earlier. For larger rootstocks over 5 years old, skin grafting or subcutaneous grafting is preferred. The graft site is typically located 1.5–2 meters up the trunk. Scions from 3–4-year-old short branches, about 20 cm long, are used. Grafting results in fruiting within 2–3 years, and the tree’s canopy becomes more compact. Stakes are often used to support upright growth. In April, during the flowering period, ginkgo is dioecious, meaning male and female flowers are on separate trees. Male trees are generally taller, have narrower crowns, and produce more pollen. It's important to collect pollen when female flowers are fully open and apply it evenly to ensure good pollination. Over-pollination can lead to excessive fruiting, which may result in smaller fruits and alternate bearing. In some areas, male trees have been removed, leading to insufficient pollen. Artificial pollination is therefore necessary. From May to June, another round of fertilization is applied, using the same amount as in early spring. Winter green manure is plowed under, while summer green manure such as mung beans, black beans, and cowpeas are sown. If the canopy coverage is below 0.5, intercropping with crops like peanuts, soybeans, broad beans, rapeseed, ginger, and daylilies is still possible. During July and August, summer weeding is carried out. Manual weeding or chemical control using glyphosate (265 g per 50 kg water, 40–50 kg per mu) or trifluralin (50 g per 15 kg water, 50–60 kg per mu) is effective against weeds. From late September to mid-October, it's the best time to harvest ginkgo seeds. Popular varieties include Home Buddha Finger (Taixing), Dongting Yellow (Taihu Dongtingshan area), Golden Fruit Bergamot (Zhuji, Lin’an, Changxing), Damei Nuclear (Zhuji, Changxing, Lin’an, Fuyang), and Yuanguo Bergamot (Zhuji). Harvesting should occur when the seed coat turns orange and a few seeds begin to fall naturally. Early harvesting leads to underdeveloped seeds, lower yields, poor quality, and reduced germination. Beating the trees with bamboo sticks can damage leaves and short branches, affecting photosynthesis and next year’s production. After collection, seeds should be spread on mats or flat surfaces, covered with straw, and not more than 40 cm thick. Avoid watering or covering with soil, as this can cause overheating or uneven decay. Once the seed coat softens, remove the outer layer, wash the seeds, and dry them for 2–3 hours until the shell is shiny. Do not over-dry, as this may reduce viability. Handle seeds carefully due to their corrosive nature—gloves are recommended. Leaves can also be collected and dried, but not in summer. Post-harvest fertilization involves applying 100 kg of manure or compost per tree. Dig a ring-shaped trench around the tree, avoiding damage to major roots. Apply fertilizer in the trench and water thoroughly. In winter, plant green manure crops such as yellow peony, purple sorghum, big ridge peas, and purple cloud.

Natural Food Colorants

what is natural food color?

Natural food coloring refers to pigments extracted or prepared from plants, animals, microorganisms or other natural sources for coloring food. These pigments are naturally produced due to biochemical reactions in living organisms and do not contain synthetic chemical components.
Natural food colors can be divided into the following categories according to their source:
1. Plant pigments: This is the most common source of natural food pigments, including pigments derived from a variety of fruits, vegetables, flowers, and plant roots. For example, red beets can provide red pigments, carrots can provide orange pigments, turmeric can provide yellow pigments, and blueberries and purple potatoes can provide purple and blue pigments.
2. Animal pigments: These pigments are rare and usually come from the tissues or excretions of certain animals. For example, cochineal is a red pigment derived from the cochineal insects that live on certain cacti.
3. Microbial pigments: Some microorganisms, such as monascus, can produce specific pigments, such as monascus red pigments.
4. Mineral pigments: Although less used, certain inorganic minerals can also be used as natural food pigments, such as titanium dioxide (white) and iron oxide (red, yellow and black). However, due to possible toxicity issues with some mineral pigments, their use is often severely restricted or banned.
Natural food colors are generally considered safer and healthier than synthetic colors due to their nature. However, their color stability, heat resistance, light resistance, and interaction with other food ingredients may not be as good as synthetic pigments, so their application in the food industry sometimes presents some challenges. At the same time, the extraction and processing of natural pigments can also affect their cost and sustainability. Nevertheless, as consumer concerns about food safety and health increase, the demand for natural food coloring is growing.

Natural Food Colorants,Natural Food Pigments, natural food color

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