Fir Yang medium duck is a medium-sized duck breed for meat, which is an excellent local waterfowl genetic resource formed by the local working people in Anhui after long-term artificial breeding and natural domestication. It is mainly distributed in Guanbuqiao Town, Zongyang Town, Huigong Township and Laozhou Town in Zongyang County, Anqing City, Anhui Province. According to research, the breeding of Fir Yang Medium Duck has a history of more than 700 years. This variety has the characteristics of wild grazing, strong foraging ability, tolerance to rough feeding, strong disease resistance, etc., and has strong adaptability.
According to research, the breeding of Fir Yang Medium Duck has a history of more than 700 years. The origin area is located in the south-central part of Anhui Province, bordering the north bank of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, with a mild and humid climate, intertwined water networks, lakes and ponds. The average annual temperature is 16.5 °C, the average annual rainfall is 1326 mm, the existing water surface is 40229 hectares, most of which are swamps with a water depth of less than 3 m, and aquatic animals and plants are luxuriant, providing high-quality feed for wild waterfowl. Such as artemisia grass, red grass, rhombus, mustard fruit, etc., there are also a large number of fish and shrimp, snail mussels and a variety of floating life. Therefore, it is inhabited by a large number of wild waterfowl, especially a variety of wild ducks. Before liberation, the local people had been fishing and hunting for a living, and hunters mainly netted all kinds of wild ducks and geese. The hunting method is to hide the net under the water by the lake, and when the wild ducks swim to the top of the net, the hunters who have hidden in advance open and close the mechanism, and the net quickly pops out from the water and closes, and the wild ducks are caught and brought to the market town for sale. And leave some wild ducks for domestication, such as net catching wild ducks, then tied to the net, as a "medium (medium), when the "medium" chirps, then lure the wild ducks into the net, so as to achieve the purpose of net fishing. With the continuation of time, the population of Fir Yang Medium Duck has expanded generation by generation, and has multiplied to this day, forming a unique resource. In order to maintain the characteristics of wild ducks, duck farmers also continue to introduce new wild ducks, mixed with the fir medium duck group to give it a natural zero. [1]
The distribution of fir yang medium duck in the production area is native to Zongyang County, Anqing City, Anhui Province, and has a local breeding history of more than 700 years, and has now spread to neighboring provinces and counties. The central production area is mainly distributed in Guanbuqiao Town, Zongyang Town, Huigong Township, Laozhou Town and Chen Yaohu Town in Zongyang County, Anqing City, Anhui Province, and Shuangzhongmiao, Xiaoxu Town and Tuohu Township in Wuhe County, Bengbu City. [2]
Geographical conditions of the origin environment
The production area is between 117°05'~118°04' E and 31°01'~33°20' N. The terrain in the territory is high in the west and low in the east, and the terrain is diverse, with both low hills and hills, alluvial plains and along the river. The highest altitude is 674.9 m, and the lowest altitude is only 13 m.
Climatic conditions
The production area belongs to the subtropical humid monsoon climate and the warm temperate transitional monsoon climate, with four distinct seasons throughout the year, mild climate, abundant rainfall, sufficient sunshine, long frost-free period, and abundant light, heat and water resources. The average annual temperature is 14.7 °C, the minimum temperature is -23.3 °C, and the maximum temperature is 40 °C. The average annual rainfall is 896.3 mm, the average annual sunshine hours are 2306.7 hours, the average frost-free period is 212 days, the average first frost day is November 1, and the average final frost day is April 2. The average number of sunshine hours for many years is 2306.7 hours, and the percentage of sunshine is 52%. The average annual wind speed is 3.4m/s. The maximum monthly average wind speed is 4.2 m/s and the minimum wind speed is 2.9 m/s. The average wind is 2 and the maximum wind is 7.
Water source and soil quality
There are many rivers and lakes in the production area, and the water surface is vast and the water resources are abundant. In the ditches and grass beaches of Hudang, there are many kinds of aquatic plants and plankton, such as wormwood (its seeds are artemisia rice, which can be used as human food), red ping, ling, lotus, mustard, etc., a large number of fish, shrimp, crabs, snails, mussels and various insects and species of plankton in the swamp, providing a good habitat environment and high-quality natural feed for the growth and reproduction of vector ducks.
There are many types of soils in the production area, mainly including paddy soil, fluvo-aquic soil, red loam, yellow-brown soil, purple soil, limestone soil, meadow soil, sandy black soil, brown loam soil and yellow-brown loam soil, etc., of which paddy soil and fluvo-aquic soil area is larger. Purple soil, limestone and yellow cinnamon soil are small and scattered.
Feed crop situation
The production areas are rich in a variety of crops and rich in resources, mainly including grain and oil crops such as rice, cotton, wheat, corn and sweet potato. Forage crops are mainly corn grains, and abundant grains and vegetables can be converted into feed in large quantities, laying a good foundation for the breeding of vector ducks. The annual output of grain in the production area is 919,000 tons, corn grain is 880,000 tons, and oilseeds are 865,800 kilograms. [2]
The ecologically adaptable fir-yang medium duck is an excellent local waterfowl genetic resource formed by the local working people after long-term artificial breeding and natural domestication, with a long history and fully adapted to the local climatic conditions. Fir-yang medium duck has the characteristics of wild grazing, strong foraging power, tolerance to rough feeding, strong disease resistance, etc., and has strong adaptability.