Severe heat after floods, crops die due to heat shock, Nghe An farmers struggle to overcome

In early August, when the floodwaters had just receded from the Lam River banks in Nhan Hoa Commune (Anh Son), extreme heat struck, leaving behind a yellow, withered picture on the fields. Rows of lush green vegetables, corn fields in the flowering stage, orange orchards laden with fruit, or vast green tea hills were now wilted, with burnt leaves, and dead due to “heat shock”.

The plants had just experienced prolonged flooding, the water receded, the weak young roots had not yet recovered, and had to struggle under the scorching sun, the temperature near the ground reached nearly 40 degrees Celsius, causing the plants to quickly become exhausted and die.

Mr. Nguyen Van Que - Vice Chairman of Nhan Hoa Commune People's Committee, said: "We have 162 hectares of rice, 232 hectares of corn, 435 hectares of sugarcane, 30 hectares of industrial tea, 230 hectares of vegetables and many other crops that are flooded. Plants soaked in water for a long time, weak roots, exposed to intense heat, high temperatures, after only a few days the roots rot, the leaves burn, and wilt. Many areas cannot be saved, so they have to be uprooted."

The severe damage not only occurred in Nhan Hoa commune but also spread throughout the vegetable growing areas of Quynh Anh commune (formerly Quynh Luu), Quynh Mai (formerly Hoang Mai town), Dai Hue (formerly Nam Dan)... The onion fields, a type of plant that is drought-resistant but extremely sensitive to rain and floods, have now suffered from root rot and fallen in large numbers.

Mrs. Bui Thi Kham (Quynh Luong commune) looked at her family's 5-sao onion field and said sadly: "It's still nearly a month until harvest, but after the flood, the onions were deeply submerged, the roots had not yet taken root and rotted. When the sun came up, the plants could not stand, so I had to cut them young to salvage the crop, the yield decreased to only 1/3, the selling price also plummeted to 4,000 VND/kg, which is considered a heavy loss."

Not only green onions, sesame growing areas in Quynh Anh also fell into a state of "total loss". Ms. Hoang Thi Hanh said: "I planted 3 sao of sesame 1.5 months ago, the plants were flowering, promising a good crop, but the flood came, the water was inundated for a long time. When the sun came up, all the sesame died and had to be completely uprooted".

According to information from the People's Committee of Quynh Anh Commune, the entire commune currently has about 700 hectares of vegetables, most of which are green onions, deeply submerged in the recent storm. Due to the characteristics of sandy soil, the roots are shallow, and as soon as the water receded, the extreme heat came, causing the plants to go into heat shock, rot, and die en masse. Many areas were considered a total loss.

In the scorching heat of nearly 40 degrees Celsius, local farmers are struggling to save their crops. From early morning, farmers in the fields are working hard to harvest, dig the soil, and spray water to keep the plants moist. Many households are taking advantage of the opportunity to sow short-term vegetable crops in time for the winter crop, even though they know that the costs of seeds, materials, and labor will be even more burdensome.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lanh (Quynh Mai ward) shared: "Harvesting early is also a big loss, but if we leave it alone, the plants will die in the fields. As long as we have land, we can still make a living, we just hope the weather will be less harsh so we can catch up with the new crop."

The commune authorities are also urgently coordinating with cooperatives and agricultural service groups to provide technical guidance on crop recovery after natural disasters. Mr. Ho Quang Tuan - Vice Chairman of Quynh Anh Commune People's Committee said: "We are mobilizing people to clean up residues, remove alum, improve the soil, and prepare short-term vegetable seeds to promptly plant as soon as conditions permit. At the same time, we are compiling statistics, assessing the extent of damage, and recommending to higher levels to support materials and seeds to reduce costs for farmers."

However, restoring production in the context of heat shock to crops after floods is extremely difficult. Mr. Nguyen Trong Son - Head of Anh Son Agricultural Service Station recommends: "People absolutely must not apply nitrogen or inorganic fertilizer directly to the tree roots at this time, because the tree roots are damaged, very susceptible to root burn, and die faster.

The most effective measure now is to use decomposed organic fertilizer and biological products to stimulate root recovery; at the same time, spray water lightly, cover the soil with straw and agricultural tarpaulin to reduce the temperature near the roots.

Mr. Son also said that fungal diseases and pests are at risk of breaking out strongly after the floods. If not handled thoroughly, areas that still have hope of recovery will be destroyed. Therefore, the agricultural sector is actively coordinating with localities to inspect and guide people on pest control measures, and at the same time recommending that the province soon have policies to support seeds, production materials and bank debt relief for households that have suffered heavy losses.