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 of Mr. Phan Ba ​​Ngoc (Lien Duc hamlet, Thanh Lien commune) fell 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 heavy rain for a long time, the flood rose, 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, and grapefruits fell in large numbers.

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

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, plastic bags to protect the fruit, then encountered a flood. 100% of the young guava trees have fallen, there is no fruit left on the tree. It is also a pity that the foam bags, plastic bags covering the fruit are also severely damaged, 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, of the 300 Dien grapefruit trees, green-skin grapefruit of Mr. Phan Ba ​​Thang's family was destroyed.fruit fall offThe estimated damage was about 200 million VND. Not only did the grapefruit trees 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 its second season, also died sporadically; the guava trees died all at once. We lost money on 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. 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 loss rate of about 50-70%.

During the recent floods, the orange and grapefruit growing 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 fruit falling. Mr. Truong Tan Phu, an orange grower in Tan Phu commune, said: “This year, orange trees suffered heavy damage. The rate of flowering and fruiting was low, and then there was a lot of physiological fall. When it was almost time to harvest, there was a storm, and almost all the fruit fell. Hundreds of orange trees lost tons of fruit, which means 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, there will be frequent storms. Therefore, people need to pay attention to measures to protect fruit trees, minimizing damage caused by storms.

According to Master Phan Duy Hai - Deputy Head of Department,Department of Cultivation and Plant ProtectionIn order to minimize damage to fruit trees when there are 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 adding lime). Biological products should be applied to prevent fungi and nematodes that are harmful to the soil before the flood season.

In addition, the tree needs to be kept moist regularly, just trimmed and should not be weeded 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.