Fruit flies attack citrus fruits about to be harvested in Quynh Luu

(Baonghean.vn) - This year, due to erratic weather, dozens of hectares of oranges and tangerines ready for harvest in Quynh Luu district were attacked by fruit flies, causing damage of nearly half the yield compared to the previous crop.

Citrus trees such as oranges, tangerines, and grapefruits are economically promising crops in the western mountainous region of Quynh Luu district. After more than 8 years of planting, households have earned an income of several hundred million to more than 1 billion VND/household/year. However, this year, fruit flies attacked and damaged the fruit.

Oranges attacked by fruit flies gradually fall to the base of the tree. Photo: Thanh Nhan

The family of Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Hien in Dong Xuan hamlet, Quynh Thang commune is one of the first households to bring the late-ripening Valenxia orange variety to grow on the Quynh Thang hill. In 2015, after 3 years of planting, the orange variety gave its first harvest with quite high yield and quality.

By 2016, the trees bore fruit simultaneously on 300 trees, each tree yielding about 500 kg of fruit; with an average selling price of 40,000 VND, Ms. Hien's family had an income of more than 500 million VND.

This year, oranges have produced a lot of fruit, and the yield could be higher. However, with just over a month left until the mass harvest, oranges are showing signs of falling off in large numbers. Ms. Hien said the reason for the oranges falling off is due to erratic weather, combined with fruit fly bites.

Fruit flies often choose nearly ripe, beautifully ripe fruits to sting and lay eggs. Photo: Thanh Nhan

“The oranges were bitten by fruit flies, so the fruit fell all over the garden. I had to pick up tons of them. Of the 10 fruits on the tree, only a few remained. When it comes to harvest season, there will probably not be 300 fruits per tree,” Nguyen Thi Thu Hien said sadly.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa in Dong Xuan hamlet, Quynh Thang commune has been planting BQ sweet tangerine trees for the 5th year; preparing to harvest the 2nd main crop. With an area of ​​over 1 hectare, she planted over 500 sweet tangerine trees; according to Ms. Hoa, although tangerines are cheaper than oranges, the selling price at the source is only 10,000 - 20,000 VND/kg, but they are easy to care for, have lower risks, so they still bring high profits.

With a total output of more than 40 tons, last season she earned more than 300 million VND. This year, hundreds of tangerine trees in Ms. Hoa's garden are also suffering from fruit flies like other households; productivity and output have also decreased significantly.

Ms. Hoa's tangerine garden in Quynh Thang commune was also bitten by fruit flies, causing many tangerine fruits to fall off, and she had to pick them up every day. Photo: Thanh Nhan

The whole Quynh Luu district has about 60 hectares of oranges and tangerines. This year, the citrus trees are growing well, promising high productivity and yield. However, the trees are attacked and sucked by many fruit flies. They choose the fruits that are about to ripen, then use a tube to pierce the peel and lay eggs in the layer under the peel.

Initially the bite is very small, making it difficult to detect where the eggs are laid. When the eggs hatch and begin to penetrate, the peel surface has a round, easily recognizable dark spot, causing the fruit to rot and fall off. This is a very dangerous disease on oranges and tangerines.

The tangerine trees at harvest time only have 1/3 to 2/3 of the original estimated yield. Photo: Thanh Nhan

To kill fruit flies, people have used many methods such as using fruit covers, making homemade fly traps, mixing biological products to kill them without using pesticides or plant protection drugs when it is time to harvest. However, specialized agencies need to soon support people to avoid this disease on orange trees to have a higher harvest.

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Thanh Nhan