Although winter has arrived, grapes remain one of the most commonly seen fruits on the streets of Xinjiang. From the traditional "Seedless White" to new fresh-eating varieties, and from relying on natural conditions to adopting innovative cultivation methods, the Grape Breeding and Cultivation Innovation Team of the Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences (referred to as the "Team") has dedicated three generations of effort to safeguarding the "sweetness" across the Tianshan Mountains.

**Venturing into the Gobi Desert** Recently, at the experimental base of the Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences located in the northern suburbs of Urumqi, Pan Mingqi, the second-generation leader of the team and a researcher at the Institute of Horticultural Crops, touched the sturdy grapevines with deep emotion. "Now, we have all the necessary research facilities, but 40 years ago, we had nothing," he recalled.

Four decades ago, under the leadership of Yang Chengshi, the first-generation leader of the team and a researcher at the same institute, Pan Mingqi and other team members ventured into the Gobi Desert of Turpan to establish experimental fields from scratch. "We built field ridges with mud bricks and turned the soil manually, leaving our hands covered in blisters by the end of the day. The water we drank was drawn from reservoirs, and after boiling, impurities floated on the surface—we had to wait for them to settle before drinking," Pan said. Despite the hardships, the team successfully established their first experimental field.

With limited equipment, the team relied on ingenuity. Without digital cameras, they sketched the shapes of fruits and leaf patterns with pencils. Without professional sugar-testing instruments, they used their tongues to gauge sweetness and meticulously recorded data in notebooks.

At the time, grape cultivation in Xinjiang was scattered. To understand the conditions across grape-producing regions, Yang Chengshi led the team on extensive surveys across the Tianshan Mountains. "Teacher Yang often said, 'How can we understand the "temperament" of grapes without stepping into every field?'" Pan recalled. Despite the challenges, the soil and climate data they collected became invaluable for future research.

Simultaneously, the team tackled the preservation challenges of the "Seedless White" grape. Using rice husks and bran as raw materials, they monitored fermentation around the clock and eventually developed a low-cost gibberellin solution, enhancing the storage and transport durability of Xinjiang grapes.

Today, the team has established a 66-acre experimental base in Urumqi, collected over 300 grape varieties, and built a 1,120-square-meter greenhouse. The pioneering stories from the Gobi Desert remain the team’s most cherished "seeds."

**Upholding the Principle of "Agriculture First"** "Studying under Teacher Yang for over 20 years, I learned not only techniques but also the importance of scientific integrity—avoiding trends and blind conformity," Pan said. On his desk lies Yang Chengshi’s old notebook, with the words "Agriculture First" prominently inscribed on the title page.

To Pan, germplasm resources are the "roots" of the grape industry, with each vine carrying the hopes of Xinjiang’s fruit farmers. In the expanded experimental garden, Pan can name every grapevine. "This 'Huozhou Red' was hybridized in 2010, requiring over 800 pollination attempts. That 'Tianshan Honey' is cold-resistant and favored by local farmers," he explained enthusiastically.

In 2018, when a certain grape variety became a market sensation, many farmers rushed to plant it. However, after repeated trials, Pan advised against large-scale cultivation in Xinjiang due to the region’s dry climate reducing seedless rates and alkaline soil affecting fruit color. Market trends later validated his judgment, saving many farmers from losses.

In cultivation techniques, Pan broke conventions. He found that the traditional "trellis" method was labor-intensive and caused uneven sunlight exposure. Leading the team, he experimented with various support structures and adjusted vine growth directions. After five years, they developed the "Sloping Horizontal Dragon Trunk" training system, which not only reduced labor but also improved sunlight utilization, increasing sugar content by 1–2 percentage points. This innovation earned the team the third prize in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Patent Awards.

**Introducing New Technologies** "Teacher Pan, the Northern Xinjiang Observation Station has been approved, and we’ve identified two fresh-eating varieties suitable for promotion!" reported Zhang Wen, deputy researcher at the Institute of Horticultural Crops and the third-generation leader of the team.

Zhang, often shuttling between greenhouses and labs, is described by her student Zhou Yaxuan as "a slender figure with boundless energy." In the summer of 2023, to develop greenhouse cultivation techniques for the "Seedless Green Treasure" grape, Zhang and her team spent three months in sweltering greenhouses, where temperatures reached 40°C at noon.

In 2024, the Urumqi Northern Xinjiang Grape Germplasm and Orchard Ecological Observation Station was officially approved, with 15 young researchers taking over the "baton." While preserving the field survey traditions of their predecessors, they introduced new technologies like molecular markers.

On a chilly winter day at the experimental base, Zhang and her students were preparing grapevines for the cold. "In a few years, these new varieties will be promoted across Xinjiang. By then, Xinjiang’s grapes will be sweeter, and farmers’ lives will flourish," Zhang said with hopeful anticipation.

Today, the team has established a comprehensive research chain encompassing "germplasm collection—cultivation innovation—quality optimization—processed product development." From Yang Chengshi sowing the first seeds in the Gobi Desert, to Pan Mingqi’s 40-year dedication to experimental fields, and now Zhang Wen leading young researchers in technological breakthroughs, three generations of scientists have rooted themselves in Xinjiang, ensuring the sweetness of its grapes transcends seasons and regions.