Experimental model of improving Catimor coffee trees
A group of engineers Nguyen Quoc Cuong, masters Doan Nhan Ai and Dang Van Cung at the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of A Luoi district, Thua Thien-Hue province have successfully experimented with a model of improving catimor coffee (a type of tea coffee) in A Luoi district by using the method of cutting down trees, restoring and improving crop productivity.
The method that the engineering team proposed was to cut down branches, "rejuvenating" the coffee tree area after a period of exploitation.
The model was carried out in Nham commune, mountainous district of A Luoi, on an area of 3.5 hectares, with a density of 5,000 trees/hectare. The sawing technique was carried out in old, low-yield coffee gardens, sawing the trunk 25-30 cm above the ground, on an inclined plane, with a smooth cut surface, not crushed.
After cutting down the coffee trees, engineers thin out the shade trees to allow light into the garden. About 20 days after cutting down, the remaining sprouted coffee buds must be evenly distributed on one tree; at the same time, care methods are applied as for the first coffee garden (weeding, fertilizing, applying plant protection measures...)
According to engineer Nguyen Quoc Cuong, Project Team Leader, in A Luoi, if coffee trees are cut down in March every year, it will be very convenient for disease prevention on the saw cuts and the time when the trees sprout in April. At this time, there are often thunderstorms in the afternoon carrying a lot of sodium, which is favorable for the development of new shoots and branches.
After about 18 months of cutting, the coffee trees are ready for harvest. The first batch of coffee trees after renovation in Nham commune, A Luoi district has yielded a net yield of 4.9 tons of fresh coffee/ha; this yield can be even higher in the following crops if well cared for.
The model of renovating Catimor coffee gardens by sawing and restoring method is suitable for local conditions, easy to implement and inexpensive.
A Luoi currently has nearly 1,000 hectares of Catimor coffee plantations; including concentrated coffee farms and scattered farms in the area; of which 300 hectares have passed the exploitation cycle and are degraded, with low productivity, only about less than 1 ton of fresh coffee/ha.
Many farmers want to destroy their coffee plantations to grow other crops. Therefore, restoring and improving coffee productivity is important in increasing income and improving the lives of ethnic minorities in the area. This model needs to be replicated in the mountainous district of A Luoi in the near future./.
According to (Vietnam News Agency)