Nghe An farmers seek flexible responses as peak heat persists

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hanh’s farm (Quynh Tam commune, Quynh Luu district) grows nearly 5 hectares of fruit trees including dragon fruit, Dien grapefruit, Taiwanese pear guava, etc. On hot days, demand is high, fruits sell well and have good prices. However, the harsh sunlight combined with the hot Lao wind makes it difficult to take care of fruit trees.

“During the fruit-bearing and fruit-nourishing stage, it is necessary to ensure adequate water and humidity. In extremely hot weather, watering time is 2-3 times longer than before. The water source is drilled wells, automatically pumped into the drip irrigation system, sprinkler irrigation, just need to set the watering time and turn it off through the system,” said Ms. Hanh.

The more drought-prone the guava and dragon fruit are, the sweeter they are, but the fruit is prone to sunburn, darkening and disfiguring. Therefore, it is necessary to cover them with 2-3 layers of plastic wrap, and operate an underground drip irrigation system to keep the plants moist, provide water to the fruit, and avoid water loss. In addition, her family also uses water hyacinth, along with other grasses and silt at the base of the tree to keep the soil moist, helping the tree grow well.

In previous years, at this time, Ms. Dam Thi Hang in Thanh Duc, Thanh Chuong district hired workers to cut grass for 6 hectares of orange trees for easy care. However, this year, following the weather, knowing that in July, the area would be extremely hot, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius at times, she decided to keep the grass in the orange farm. Keeping the grass is to create a layer of protection for the soil, helping to retain moisture and cool the soil. At the same time, she trimmed diseased branches, creating an airy canopy for the trees.

Oranges are mainly grown on steep hillsides, which drain quickly, evaporate easily and have difficulty retaining moisture. However, thanks to organic farming, the use of biological products, the limitation of inorganic fertilizers and chemicals, and the loose, airy, humus-rich soil structure, the amount of irrigation water will be absorbed more, not wasting water on the surface and evaporating. Thanks to proper care, the family's 6 hectares of oranges are now bearing fruit, accumulating nutrients to nourish the fruit.

These days, high temperatures combined with southwest winds have made production in greenhouses and net houses quite difficult. In many areas, from May to July, greenhouses are almost empty due to high temperatures, and no plants can be grown. However, most greenhouses still maintain production with crops such as: melons, cucumbers, etc.

For melon plants to grow well and achieve productivity, in addition to increasing irrigation and adding nutrients, irrigation methods are also very important.

“The greenhouse is made of steel and plastic, so the temperature inside is always 4-5 degrees Celsius higher than the outside temperature. Therefore, sprinkler irrigation should only be operated at night, while during the day, drip irrigation and the ventilation system should be turned on. At the same time, invest in spreading capillary carpets inside the greenhouse to maintain humidity,” said Mr. Nguyen Phung Khoi (Trung Son commune, Do Luong district).

Meanwhile, many households in Hung Tan commune (Hung Nguyen), Kim Lien commune (Nam Dan) apply measures to store water in furrows and trim leaves to prevent drought for cucumber plants.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh, if the cucumber plants are not given enough water at this time, the fruit will shrivel up, taste bitter, and be difficult to sell, and will not fetch a good price.

Taking advantage of the rainy days at the end of June, she dredged deep trenches to retain water between the rows to provide enough water for the plants. At the same time, she mobilized workers to prune all old leaves and leaves near the base to reduce water evaporation through the leaves and help the plants lose less water, create ventilation, and increase the photosynthetic ability of the plants from before.