Water recedes, sun rises, oranges and grapefruits in Nghe An fall all over the ground

Mr. Phan Ba ​​Thang's family (Thanh Lien commune, Thanh Chuong district) has a 1-hectare farm specializing in growing grapefruit, guava and jackfruit. During the recent flood, the entire fruit garden was submerged in water. Now, the sun has cleared and the water is receding, but the grapefruit trees are showing signs of wilting and dropping fruit; the guava trees along the bank and higher up are wilting.

Mr. Phan Ba ​​Thang said: “Currently, the water has not receded completely, so the trees have not withered and the fruit has not fallen much. In just a few days, if the weather continues to be sunny like this, there will probably be no more fruit on the trees.

According to Mr. Thang, his entire grapefruit acreage is green-skinned grapefruit, expected to be harvested during Tet. However, up to now, many fruits have fallen, productivity has decreased, and output has decreased, so there will definitely be a loss.

According to incomplete statistics, Thanh Lien commune currently has about 3.5 hectares of fruit trees belonging to 6 households that were severely flooded in the recent flood. Of which, mainly grapefruit (green-skinned grapefruit, Dien grapefruit) are in the fruit-bearing period, some are about to be harvested, some are harvested during Tet.

Mr. Luu Cong Hiep - Vice Chairman of Thanh Lien Commune People's Committee said: "During the heavy rain after storm No. 4 in 2022, fruit growers in Thanh Lien commune also suffered great damage due to flooding, grapefruit fruit falling off, and wilting trees.

This year, although the water receded early, the rain was heavy, strong, and deep, so when the sun came up, the trees would be shocked by heat, poisoned by fungus, and their roots would be clogged, causing massive fruit loss, causing damage to growers. Each tree is estimated to bear 50 fruits, each fruit sold on the market for 18,000-20,000 VND, large households have 300-400 trees, small households have 100 trees, which means a loss of hundreds of millions of VND/household.

In the recent flood, Anh Son is the locality with the largest area of ​​damaged fruit trees in the province with about 50 hectares. In which, mainly focusing on orange trees in Dinh Son commune, according to initial screening data, 50/64 hectares of oranges and grapefruits were flooded, of which, the deeply flooded area was 35 hectares. Currently, the water receded and the hot weather has caused the oranges to shrink, turn yellow and then gradually fall off. Oranges fell thickly at the base, yellow fruits, waterlogged fruits flooded the garden...

Mr. Cao Phi Nhat - Vice Chairman of Dinh Son Commune People's Committee said: "The fruit drop rate is about 40%. The area of ​​orange trees with stunted roots and rotten roots is about 19 hectares.

Not only are oranges damaged by falling, but households also suffer more serious damage when they are soaked in water for a long time, causing the roots to choke and the trees to wilt, requiring time to care for them, affecting the yield and quality of the following orange crops. Currently, gardeners are cleaning up fallen fruit, treating the gardens, and focusing on caring for and restoring the orange trees.

Mr. Xuyen Thanh, Bai Phu village, Dinh Son commune said: "The area of ​​early-ripening oranges is expected to be harvested next month, and late-ripening oranges will be harvested before Tet. However, this year, from the beginning of the season, there was unusual weather, the fruit set rate decreased, and there were storms and floods that caused the fruit to fall. It is considered a failed orange season."

According to preliminary statistics, during the recent floods, more than 100 hectares of fruit trees in the province were damaged, mainly oranges, grapefruits, and guavas with fruit loss at a rate of 30-70%. It is forecasted that from now until the end of the year, which is also the main harvest season for fruit trees, mainly citrus trees, there will be frequent storms. Therefore, people need to pay attention to measures to protect fruit trees, minimizing damage caused by storms.

Mr. Phan Thanh Tung - Head of the Cultivation Department, the Provincial Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection recommends: After the flood, growers need to dig ditches and drains to avoid local flooding in the garden. After the water recedes, it is necessary to cut off broken branches/severely damaged by rain and flooding; Till the ground (in the canopy area) with a toothed hoe (5 - 10cm deep) to break the crust, so that the tree roots can absorb oxygen; after breaking the crust, cover the base with straw or dry grass;

Using root stimulant fertilizer according to the canopy projection helps develop new roots; combining with foliar fertilizer spraying helps enhance the tree's recovery ability; when the soil surface is dry, apply urea + potassium chloride with dosage depending on the type and age of the tree to stimulate the tree to recover and grow new roots.