Tien Giang (VNA) – The Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang has stepped up measures torecover durian orchards damaged by severe saltwater intrusion and drought inthe 2019 – 2020 dry season.

Theprovince, which is the country’s largest fruit producer, has more than 13,500haof durian, accounting for 14.7 percent of the province’s total fruit areas,according to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Nguyen VanMan, director of the department, said severe saltwater intrusion and drought inthe 2019 – 2020 dry season damaged 5,343ha of fruits, including 4,500ha ofdurian orchards in the province’s western area.

Manyorchards were damaged up to 70 percent, the rate at which the orchards areconsidered lost, according to farmers.

In Cai Lay district’sTam Binh commune, the province’s largest durian growing area, many farmers arecutting down dead durian trees.

Saltwaterintrusion occurred at the end of last year and lasted for more than six months,damaging durian orchards in the commune.  

The highestsalinity rate during the period was nearly 10 grammes per litre, 10 timeshigher than the rate tolerated by durian trees.

Nguyen TanNhu, Secretary of the Tam Bình Commune Party Committee, said nearly 1,000ha ofdurian in Tam Binh, or 70 percent of the commune’s total durian area, hasdied, causing severe losses for farmers.

Durian is aperennial tree with high economic value, but cannot tolerate high salinityand inclement weather which occurred in the 2019 – 2020 dry season, hesaid.

Huynh ThiKim Trinh in Tam Binh’s Binh Hoa A hamlet said one of her two durianorchards is damaged and the other is being rehabilitated.

The provinceis entering the rainy season, but the aftermath of severe saltwater intrusionand drought in the last dry season saturated the soil, injuring orkilling durian trees.

To saveinjured trees, the provincial People’s Committee has ordered thedepartment in co-operation with research institutes and relevant agencies toevaluate the causes and show farmers how to recover their orchards.

Durianorchards are applying advanced techniques to rehabilitate affected treesafter the end of saltwater intrusion and drought, and to adapt to saltwaterintrusion in Tam Binh and Ngu Hiep communes.  

Dr. Le Quoc Dienof the Southern Horticultural Research Institute said under the models, farmersfollow five steps to rehabilitate soil.

Thesteps are to wash out salt, rehabilitate the root and leaf systems ofdurian trees, support leaf and roof development, and increase nutrientabsorption and photosynthesis capacity of trees.

Le Van Tieu,who is rehabilitating his durian orchard in Ngu Hiep, saidleaf development has improved considerably.

In the 2019 -2020 dry season, saltwater intrusion and drought occurred in all of theprovince’s districts and towns, damaging agricultural production./.