Zezhou Millet (Danchuan Millet) Gaodu Red Clay Case on Ecosystem Protection and Sustainable Development (Case 10)

DOI:10.3974/geodc.2021.12.10，CSTR：20146.22.2021.12.10，GCdataPR [2021]10

The case is led by Associate Researcher Zhang Aiying from Millet Research Institute of Shanxi Agricultural University，and launched by a team jointly composed of Institute of Crop Science of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences，Gaodu Town Government of Zezhou County，Gaodu Guyi Agricultural Professional Cooperative，Shanxi Jincheng Xingdian surveying and mapping Co.，Ltd，Institute of soil and water conservation，Ministry of water resources of Chinese Academy of Sciences，Science and technology innovation and development center of Chinese Academy of Sciences，Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research of Chinese Academy of Sciences, etc. The case has been listed as a case of the "Geographical Indications Environment & Sustainability " (Case 10).

The Zezhou yellow millet produced from red clay in Gaodu Town has excellent nutritional quality, low gelatinization temperature and high viscosity, significant fat accumulation, good palatability, high levels of methionine, glycine, cysteine, isoleucine, and abundant accumulation of trace elements such as VB2, potassium, copper, and zinc. The case area mainly selects the excellent variety Jingu 21, which is recognized for its production time, high yield and quality, strong resistance to lodging and stress, and suitable for the local conditions.

According to historical records, Chen Tingjing, the CEO of the Kangxi Dictionary, was from Zezhou and presented local rice as tribute to Emperor Kangxi. When Emperor Kangxi saw the golden color of the rice and its sweet taste, he named it "Zezhou Fragrance" and listed it as a tribute. The masses are referred to as "Zezhou Huang" in transactions. Zezhou yellow millet was awarded the National Geographical Indication Product Protection (General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, No. 40 of 2018) in 2018, and was included in the 10th case of “Geographical Indications Environment & Sustainability” in 2021.

Climate conditions and soil types are important factors affecting the growth, development, and quality of foxtail millet. The unique regional advantages have created the unique characteristics of Zezhou yellow millet. The excellent quality of Zezhou yellow millet mainly comes from two natural characteristics of its production area: firstly, the light and temperature in the mountainous and hilly areas at latitudes of 35 ° N-36 ° N; The case area is located in the grain golden climate zone near latitude 36 ° N. three of the four traditional Chinese famous yellow millets are in the local zone; The second is the red clay on the Loess Plateau.

The case area includes 14 villages in the eastern part of Gaodu Town, Zezhou County, whose millet production accounts for 82.25% of Zezhou County, making it the main millet producing area in Zezhou. High quality geography, hydrology, meteorology, and soil texture are the guarantees and advantages of high-quality, green, and sustainable production of Zezhou yellow millet. The soil in the case area is mainly the Tertiary red clay exposed after erosion of loess, accounting for 2.72% of the soil in the Loess Plateau. Its sticky weight was once rated as poor quality soil by soil scientists, but after years of soil and water conservation and soil cultivation, it has now become a relatively fertile soil.

The production of Zezhou yellow millet has been standardized in terms of origin requirements, variety range, production control, harvesting and post production processing, and production record requirements; The product quality and safety have been standardized and guided from external sensory characteristics, internal quality indicators, mandatory technical specifications, and other aspects; The millet planting base has unified operating procedures and technical requirements. All of these have provided guarantees and laid the foundation for the development of the geographical indication brand of Zezhou yellow millet.

Through the analysis of geoscience data and ground sample data, the farmland in the case area is mainly horizontal terraced fields, with a ground slope mainly within 10 degrees. The surface is rich in organic matter and nutrients, with good vegetation coverage during the rainy season, and there is no obvious soil erosion on the surface. The unique climatic conditions and the red soil developed on the red clay matrix of the Tertiary period are the main factors that formed the distinctive Zezhou yellow millet. The rich cultural heritage has created the Zezhou yellow millet brand, and the sustainable development of high-quality green agricultural product Zezhou yellow millet is yet to be anticipated.

This case is registered as DOI internationally, CSTR for China Science and Technology Resource Sharing System, QR code for traceability system, and QR code for traceability monitoring system.

"Geographical Indications Environment & Sustainability " is a science and technology support action plan sponsored by the Chinese Association for Science and Technology, led by the Chinese Geographical Society, jointly promoted by the United Nations Consultative Information and Communication Technology Special Committee of the Chinese Association for Science and Technology, the Institute of Geographic Science and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the World Data Center for Global Change Science Research and other units. Its purpose is to integrate basic sciences such as geography, resources, and ecology, as well as information and communication technologies such as geographic information systems, remote sensing and Earth observation, big data and the Internet of Things, with open science as the basic principle, to promote rural revitalization and regional sustainable development.

DATASET： ZHANG Aiying, HAO zhuanfang*, ZHANG Jianjun, GUAN Junsheng, JIAO Ling, JIAO Honglin, HAO Qiqi, WANG Fei, YANG Libin, WANG Zhengxing.Zezhou Millet (Danchuan Millet) Gaodu Red Clay Case Dataset on Ecosystem Protection and Sustainable Development[J/DB/OL]. Digital Journal of Global Change Data Repository, 2021. https://doi.org/10.3974/geodb.2021.12.45.V1.

DATAPAPER： Zhang, A. Y., Hao, Z. F., Zhang, J. J., et al.GIES Case Dataset on Zezhou Millet (Danchuan Millet) Red Clay in Gaodu Town, Shanxi Province of China[J]. Journal of Global Change Data & Discovery, 2021.5(4):420-430. DOI: 10.3974/geodp.2021.04.06.