Nghia Dan: Farmers make their own herbal pesticides for Dien grapefruit
(Baonghean.vn) - Applying the process of caring for grapefruit according to VietGAP, not using pesticides, and making homemade herbal pesticides to prevent harmful pests, Dien grapefruit trees bring double the economic value to Nghia Dan people.
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| Mr. Luong Quang Yen's Dien grapefruit garden (Nghia Lien commune, Nghia Dan) has exceptionally high productivity thanks to the use of herbal pesticides. Photo: Minh Thai |
The family of Mr. Luong Quang Yen in Xuan 1 hamlet, Nghia Lien commune is one of the pioneers in bringing Dien grapefruit trees to plant in Nghia Lien commune. Mr. Yen shared: Previously, on an area of nearly 1 hectare of sugarcane growing, it was not effective. In 2007, after researching and knowing the economic value of Dien grapefruit trees, he decided to invest in planting 200 trees. Dien grapefruit can be harvested after only 3 years, trees planted for 5 years or more can reach 50 to 100 fruits/tree, weighing 1 - 1.2 kg/fruit. The quality of grapefruit is not inferior to Hanoi Dien grapefruit.
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| Safe biological products from herbs such as ginger, garlic, chili... Photo: Minh Thai |
To have delicious Dien grapefruit without using pesticides, he has worked hard to learn and create a biological product including some locally available herbs, garlic, chili, ginger... which are ground and soaked in white wine for 10-15 days to produce a herbal pesticide.
In addition, his family invested in a modern irrigation system, ensuring the irrigation process is technically sound so that insects fall off. When the tree begins to bear fruit, his family carefully wraps it in plastic bags to prevent fruit flies from causing harm. Mr. Yen shared: Starting in 2015, I boldly piloted this homemade herbal pesticide on nearly 1 hectare of grapefruit in my family. Compared to other pesticide products, this homemade herbal pesticide has the advantage of being extremely effective in repelling insects, has a high fruit set rate, helps plants grow well, increases resistance, and has green leaves. In particular, it does not pollute the environment, water sources, and is safe for users. Not only that, thanks to the use of natural herbs, costs are also reduced by 30-40% for each production crop.
Ms. Tran Thi Thin's family in Nghia Chinh hamlet, a Dien grapefruit grower in Nghia Lam commune, shared: Previously, on an area of nearly 6 sao of ineffective mixed garden land, in 2009, after reading books and newspapers, she decided to invest in planting 120 trees, however, due to the lack of application of scientific and technical advances and production being mainly spontaneous, the productivity and quality of the fruit were still low. Since being trained in the transfer of techniques for growing Dien grapefruit on a household scale according to VietGAP, she has carried out steps such as pruning, pollinating, pruning, using fertilizers, watering and post-harvest preservation techniques. Due to the correct application of technical processes, the grapefruits are round, bright yellow, thin, smooth, and sweet. In the last crop, her family earned nearly 100 million VND from grapefruit, nearly double that of previous years.
Mr. Nguyen Quoc Tuan - Head of the District Agricultural Extension Station said: This is a new but very practical way, reducing costs for farmers, and more importantly, creating clean agricultural products, people need to apply and replicate it more. The method is good, easy to do, environmentally friendly and everyone can apply it. People can also spray pesticides themselves without worrying about affecting their health and the surrounding environment.
