Farmers in Nghe An province are struggling to protect their pineapples from the heat.

Quynh Luu currently has about 1,000 hectares of pineapple plantations. Although pineapple plants are drought-tolerant, the weather conditions are a contributing factor.hot weatherThe harsh weather in recent days has affected the growth of this plant.

Mr. Nguyen Van Loi, householdpineapple plantingA resident of Tan Thang commune said his family owns 17 hectares of pineapples. Because they practice crop rotation and staggered planting, they have had pineapples to harvest consistently since the beginning of the year. However, for more than a month now, the weather has been extremely hot, so he has been focusing on measures to protect the entire area of ​​ripening pineapples.

“In the summer, when the weather is intensely hot, pineapple plants, if not carefully protected, are very susceptible to leaf discoloration and plant death, especially when newly planted. Therefore, my family has invested tens of millions of dong in buying black netting to cover about 8-10 hectares of pineapples. One investment in netting can last for 3-4 years. In addition, my family has about 1 hectare of pineapples ready for harvest, which are also covered with netting. Over the years, thanks to applying heat protection measures, the pineapples have suffered less from pests and diseases, and the yield and production have been stable,” Mr. Loi shared.

This year's pineapple crop has brought joy to farmers in the mountainous communes of Quỳnh Châu, Quỳnh Thắng, and Tân Thắng, thanks to both a bountiful harvest and good prices. Yields reached approximately 35 tons per hectare, with some areas achieving over 40 tons per hectare due to better care. With the current selling price of 7,500 VND per kilogram, farmers are earning nearly 300 million VND per hectare per crop.

To minimize damage caused by heatwaves, farmers are employing various heat-protective measures for pineapples, such as frequent watering and using protective coverings on the plant surface. Currently, some farmers are using harvested vetiver leaves to cover the pineapple tops. This method effectively protects the plants and yields high harvests while keeping investment costs low.

For hilly areas, farmers invest in high-capacity pumps and install them with overhead sprinkler systems to irrigate their pineapple plants.

Mr. Pham Hong Viet, a pineapple farmer in Quynh Chau commune, said that his family has 7 hectares of pineapples. In recent days, he has hired people to go up the hill to tie each pineapple stem around the fruit to protect it from the heat. Although this work is time-consuming, it saves on the cost of buying a water pump to irrigate the pineapple plants. Furthermore, this method of heat protection also allows the family to inspect and detect areas with pests or diseases, enabling them to take preventative measures and minimize economic losses.

“Besides tying each pineapple leaf high to protect the fruit inside, the family also covered them with straw and dry grass to limit sunlight from scorching the fruit and affecting its quality. With these heat protection measures, the entire pineapple crop has developed normally under the intense heat,” Mr. Viet added.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Khanh, Chairman of the Tan Thang Commune People's Committee, said that out of the 800 hectares of pineapple cultivation area in the commune, households have invested in purchasing black netting to shade about 100 hectares, while the rest apply other heat protection measures such as covering with straw and grass; and regularly watering the pineapple plants... In addition, the local authorities also guide farmers on some measures to increase pineapple yield such as pruning shoots, especially the Queen pineapple variety which often produces many shoots that compete for nutrients with the fruit.