Oranges fall en masse in Quynh Luu, orange growers are miserable

(Baonghean.vn) - These days, in some orange gardens in Quynh Chau commune (Quynh Luu), there is a phenomenon of soft, rotten fruit, then falling off, causing great damage to orange growers.

In 2012, after learning about growing oranges, Mr. Nguyen Trong Tu in village 4A, Quynh Chau commune ordered late-ripening Valencia oranges and PQ tangerines to grow on an area of ​​14 sao.

After 3 years of planting and caring for oranges to produce fruit, in 2016 the oranges began to produce fruit en masse. This orange variety is usually harvested in mid-January, like last year Mr. Tu had a harvest of hundreds of millions of dong, but this year when the oranges were about to be harvested, they fell off in large numbers.

Oranges nearing harvest time were stung by caterpillars, causing them to fall, causing great damage to orange growers in Quynh Chau commune (Quynh Luu). Photo: Thuy Nga

According to Mr. Nguyen Trong Tu, the reason why oranges are falling off in large numbers is because of the bites of butterflies (also known as moths) and fruit flies. Usually, from 6 to 7 pm, the caterpillars fly to the orchard and fly out of the garden around 4 to 5 am.

When the orange is first pricked, it is difficult to detect the puncture. If you squeeze the orange lightly, the liquid inside will flow through the hole. A few days later, the peel around the pricked orange will soften, then after about a week it will fall off, and the fruit will smell rotten.

"Caterpillars often sting ripe or nearly ripe fruits; this year there are a lot of them, their stingers are as long as a bee's stinger, and the fruit will fall in about 5 days, or as early as 2 days. I went to Quy Hop to learn how to trap, and the night trapping combined with the cold weather has reduced the number of moths in recent days," said Mr. Tu.

When the orange is newly pricked, it is difficult to detect the puncture. A few days later, the peel becomes soft and then falls off. Photo: Thuy Nga

Although the massive orange fall caused great damage, Mr. Nguyen Trong Tu only used manual measures such as making 20 traps and using flashlights to catch worms at night. It is expected that this year, orange production will decrease by 40-50%, causing a loss of nearly 100 million VND for his family.

Currently, in Quynh Chau commune, there are 9 hectares of oranges and tangerines; most of the area is affected by pests. In addition to Mr. Tu's family, many households suffered great losses such as Mr. Nguyen Trong Tu's family in village 4A (nearly 1 hectare); Mr. Trinh Van Quy in village 4A (2 hectares); Mr. Tran Van Luu in Tuan (1.6 hectares), Mr. Le Van Hung (2 hectares),...

To limit pests that damage oranges, Mr. Nguyen Trong Tu made traps to hang on the orange tree roots, using a flashlight to catch pests at night. Photo: Thuy Nga

Mr. Luu Hai Viet - Vice Chairman of Quynh Chau Commune People's Committee said that after some orange growing households reported the phenomenon of insect bites causing economic damage, the local government sent agricultural land officers to the households to inspect, and at the same time reported to the district to ask for opinions and instruct people on how to prevent it.

Along with caterpillars, fruit flies are also one of the reasons for the decline in orange yields of many households in Quynh Chau commune, causing hundreds of millions of dong in damage to orange growers./.