Yu Quangang, chief engineer for the management commission of the upper and middle reaches of the Yellow River, told China Central Television that locals detest such erosion hazards so much that they liken the sandstone to arsenic, giving its name Pisha. Pi is an old name for arsenic in Chinese.

It's estimated that 76.9 percent of the 7,550 square kilometers of land under Juungar's jurisdiction is covered by the soft rock, plaguing the banner with water loss and soil erosion.

The innovative approach of integrating apple tree cultivation with Pisha sandstone treatment was discovered serendipitously, according to Hua.

In 1994, a villager named Wang Zaida planted an apple seedling in a sheltered, sunlit mountain cove in Deshengyouliang. Against the odds, the apple tree thrived, prompting him to expand his planting to 0.4 hectares in 2006, which yielded remarkable success.

Many villagers were astonished when Wang generated 300,000 yuan from his orchard in 2013, a success that promptly inspired other villagers to venture into the business, with Hua being one of them.

Pisha sandstone appears to be solid, but upon contact with water, it quickly loosens, rendering it vulnerable to erosion on slopes. When exposed to heavy rainfall, the soft rock easily transforms into a mudflow, Hua said.

He explained that the villagers began by creating terraced farmland to plant apple trees. They meticulously leveled their land before blending local loess and manure into the terraced surfaces. Despite the challenging terrain, the apple trees thrived in this mixture, aided by the underlying Pisha sandstone which effectively prevented water infiltration.

As local authorities strive to treat Pisha sandstone to curb water loss and soil erosion, more villagers have planted apple trees under the support of the local government.

Apple orchards in Deshengyouliang now cover more than 150 hectares, said Wang Meng, deputy head of the government of Nuanshui township, where Deshengyouliang is located.

Each year, about 160 metric tons of apples can be yielded in the village, bringing villagers more than 20 million yuan in income, he added.