Oranges and grapefruits fall off in large numbers, many Thanh Chuong farmers lose hundreds of millions of dong

Nearly 300 grapefruit trees with about 150,000 Dien grapefruits that are about to be harvested belong to Mr. Phan Ba ​​Ngoc (Lien Duc hamlet, Thanh Lien commune) and are scattered all over the garden. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Mr. Phan Ba ​​Ngoc in Lien Duc hamlet,Thanh Lien commune, Thanh Chuong district, planted 300 Dien grapefruit trees, only 1 month left until harvest. Grapefruit is delicious, favored by the market, so the quantity of nearly 15,000 grapefruits has been sold, just waiting for the harvest day. However, the circulation after storm No. 4 caused prolonged heavy rain, rising flood, so his family's grapefruit garden was heavily flooded, the grapefruit trees were soaked in water for a whole week, causing the roots to suffocate, grapefruit fell in large numbers.

After the rain stopped, the water receded and the sun was hot again. The remaining grapefruits on the trees shriveled, turned yellow, and gradually fell off. The grapefruits fell thickly at the base of the trees, some yellow, some waterlogged, flooding the garden... At this rate, there would be no more grapefruit left by harvest time.

District and commune officials check the damage to fruit trees when the flood recedes and the sun comes out. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Located in the fruit farm planning area in Lien Duc hamlet, Mr. Phan Ba ​​Hau's family also planted 250 green-skinned grapefruit trees. Fortunately, this type of grapefruit bears fruit earlier, so before the storm, Mr. Hau's family was able to harvest and sell half of it. The remaining grapefruit that had not yet been harvested had almost all fallen off, leaving only a few small, ugly fruits on the tree.

Mr. Phan Ba ​​Hau said: “Each tree roughly has 50 fruits, 250 trees have 7,500 fruits, the market price is 18,000-20,000 VND/fruit, now almost all have fallen, the total loss is more than 100 million VND. 200 guava trees alone, the fruits are as big as the tip of a thumb, just wrapped in foam and plastic bags to protect the fruit, then it was flooded. 100% of the young guava fell off, there is no fruit left on the tree. Unfortunately, the foam and plastic bags that covered the fruit were also severely damaged and cannot be reused.”

In many areas, due to prolonged flooding, grapefruit trees suffered root rot and died when the water receded. Photo: Thanh Phuc

More painfully, among the 300 Dien grapefruit trees and green-skin grapefruit trees of Mr. Phan Ba ​​Thang's family,fruit fell offThe estimated damage was about 200 million VND. Not only did the grapefruits lose their fruit due to falling, but Mr. Thang's household also suffered more serious damage when a series of grapefruit trees were soaked in water for a long time, the roots rotted, the trees dried up and died; nearly 150 guava trees also lost fruit and died en masse.

Mr. Phan Ba ​​Thang said: “It’s understandable that the fruit falls, but the grapefruit tree, which was planted in its fourth year and bore fruit in the second season, also died sporadically; the guava trees died all at once. We lost the money for the seeds and spent 3-4 years taking care of them, now we have to start over…”.

Hundreds of guava trees in Thanh Lien commune (Thanh Chuong) have lost all their fruit, withered leaves, and died at the roots. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Not only in Thanh Lien commune, fruit growing areas in Thanh Chuong district were also severely damaged by floods. Accordingly, the most severely affected were Thanh My, Thanh Duc, Thanh Lien, Thanh Tien communes... with a total area of ​​nearly 100 hectares. In which, mainly oranges, grapefruits, guavas with a fruit drop rate of about 50-70%.

During the recent floods, the orange and grapefruit areas of farmers in Tan Phu commune (Tan Ky) were also severely affected by the floods. Accordingly, 13 hectares of oranges and 10 hectares of grapefruit were flooded, with 50-70% of the fruit falling off. Mr. Truong Tan Phu, an orange grower in Tan Phu commune, said: “This year, the orange trees suffered heavy damage. The rate of flowering and fruiting was low, and then there was a lot of physiological fall off. When it was almost time to harvest, there was a storm, and almost all the fruit fell off. Hundreds of orange trees lost tons of fruit, which amounted to a total loss of hundreds of millions of dong.”

Whitewash and spread lime on the surface to treat mold after the water recedes. Photo: Thanh Phuc

According to preliminary statistics, during the recent floods, nearly hundreds of hectares of fruit trees in the province were damaged, mainly oranges, grapefruits, and guavas with fruit loss at a rate of 30-70%. It is forecasted that from now until the end of the year, which is also the main harvest season for fruit trees, mainly citrus trees, will be the time of heavy rain and storms. Therefore, people need to pay attention to measures to protect fruit trees, minimizing damage caused by rain and storms.

According to Master Phan Duy Hai - Deputy Head of Department,Department of Cultivation and Plant ProtectionIn order to minimize damage to fruit trees during floods, people need to follow the technical process of planting and caring for them. Accordingly, when planting oranges, grapefruits, guavas, and apples, they need to be planted above ground, and the garden must have a sufficient irrigation and drainage system to prevent local flooding. In care, increase the amount of organic fertilizer, regularly check the pH in the soil (can be balanced by applying lime). Biological products should be applied to prevent fungi and nematodes that are harmful to the soil before the rainy season.

In addition, the tree needs to be kept moist regularly, just need to trim and should not hoe the grass at the base of the tree to avoid erosion. After flooding, the mud must be washed away as soon as the water recedes, then, use a rake to lightly loosen the soil to increase oxygen for the roots and spread lime on the garden surface at a rate of 5-7 quintals/1 hectare. After that, increase potassium fertilization so that the tree has a strong root system and recovers quickly.