Mr. Doan Duc Hoa, in Lien Duc hamlet, Xa Bang commune, Chau Duc district, checks durian before cutting it for sale. Photo (courtesy): Hoang Nhi/TTXVN
Currently, the province has over 1,300 hectares of durian, with the main varieties being Ri6 durian and Thai durian, with an average yield of 6 – 8 tons/ha, with an estimated output of 4,937 tons.
According to farmers, durian is a demanding crop, sensitive to weather and also drought-intolerant, so in conditions of prolonged heat and drought, durian trees often experience leaf tip burn and scorch, affecting the tree’s ability to photosynthesize and synthesize nutrients. In particular, the scorching sun for many months in a row has caused the trees to suffer heat shock, leading to young fruit drop, posing a risk of crop failure for this year’s durian harvest.
The family of Mr. Nguyen Hai Nam, living in Tan Lap hamlet, Son Binh commune, Chau Duc district, has nearly 2 hectares of Ri6 and Thai durian. He said that in recent days, the record heat has caused his family’s durian orchard to experience continuous young fruit drop, with the current drop rate at around 30% and young fruit on the trees still continuing to fall, causing him great concern.
“The hot weather has caused the durian trees to suffer heat shock, leading to a large amount of young fruit dropping. If last year my orchard harvested around 3 tons, this year there is a risk of a 30 – 40% decrease compared to last year. The durian tree is a very demanding crop, difficult to care for. During hot weather, when watering the tree, it is also necessary to ensure sufficient moisture. If the tree is watered too much, it will also cause young fruit to drop. Prolonged heat will also cause the tree to scorch leaves, drop fruit, and affect the tree’s development, and many trees even die,” added Mr. Nam.
The 1.8-hectare durian orchard of Mr. Vo Ngoc Thanh’s family, living in Song Xoai 2 hamlet, Lang Lon commune, Chau Duc district, has been planted for 6 years. This year, it has also fallen into a situation of heavy crop failure due to the prolonged heat. Mr. Thanh said that this year he has invested a cost of around 80 million VND in the durian orchard, but due to the prolonged heat, the trees have not produced many flowers because they have been exhausted by the weather. When young fruit sets, the tree suffers heat shock and drops the fruit, so he had to treat the tree to prevent it from bearing fruit to nourish the tree for harvesting next year.
“Durian trees exposed to hot weather experience heat shock, leaf scorch, young fruit drop, or young fruit set is also at risk of dry segments. This year’s durian crop for my family is certain to be a loss, not profitable like last year. Even though the price is high, there is no yield to sell to the market,” Mr. Thanh shared.
According to durian farmers in Ba Ria – Vung Tau, the durian currently bearing fruit will be harvested around May.
In light of this situation, the Ba Ria – Vung Tau provincial agricultural sector recommends that durian growers in the province implement sufficient watering for durian trees. Use mist irrigation and distributed irrigation measures to save irrigation water. Durian trees should be watered early in the morning or late in the afternoon, avoiding watering at noon.
In addition, use readily available organic materials such as straw, dry branches and leaves, and plant debris to cover and retain moisture around the base as well as the entire orchard to limit evaporation, maintaining soil moisture. Along with that, maintain grass and natural vegetation cover in the orchard to cover and retain soil moisture; supplement organic mulch for the soil and nutrients for the trees to withstand prolonged heat.
