"Matcha" season for grapefruit

In the garden, groups of people hurriedly started the work of “matchmaking” the grapefruit flowers. The pollination work was rhythmic, quick but also very careful because even a single strong movement could cause the fragile petals to fall.

Bang Luan Commune is one of the localities with the largest area of ​​grapefruit cultivation in Doan Hung District. For the people here, grapefruit trees are not only a crop but also a source of pride and livelihood. Every grapefruit blossom season, they are busy working in their gardens to have a bumper crop.

Grapefruit farmers in Bang Luan commune are busy pollinating flowers.

In the past, to help pomelo flowers pollinate, people had to meticulously pick each Dien pomelo flower or flower of the sour pomelo variety, then use their hands to brush pollen onto the pistils of the flowers that needed pollination. Nowadays, thanks to improved techniques, they use soft bristle brushes to transfer pollen from one pistil to another, saving time while still ensuring the fruit set rate.

Cross-pollination also helps improve fruit quality, when the pistil of one flower fuses with the ovule of another flower, not necessarily on the same branch. The work is not hard but requires skill, perseverance and precision. The pollinator must constantly look up, choosing the right flowers that have just bloomed to apply pollen at the right time.

During peak season, each worker pollinating grapefruit flowers can earn 300,000 VND/day, working about 7-8 hours, from early morning to late afternoon.

Having been involved in growing grapefruit for nearly half a century, Ms. Le Thi Tam, Bang Luan commune, said: “My garden has 600 grapefruit trees bearing fruit, on an area of ​​2 hectares, including Cat Que and Khai Linh grapefruit. In the last harvest, the garden sold more than 100,000 fruits. To complete the pollination process for the flowers, my family hired 10 workers to pollinate for half a month. The pollination tool is a long pole, with a pollen brush tied tightly to the end of the pole - a soft-bristled brush that will not damage the petals and pistils of the flowers.”

Grapefruit is a hermaphrodite flower, in the past, even without human intervention, grapefruit flowers could still self-pollinate and bear fruit. However, due to climate change, changes in the natural environment and the decline in the number of bees and butterflies, the fruit set rate is no longer as high as before. Therefore, people have had to resort to artificial pollination to ensure productivity.

Mr. Tran Ngoc Minh - Director of the Bang Luan Grapefruit and General Service Cooperative emphasized that grapefruit grown on Doan Hung land is famous for its delicious flavor. Grapefruit trees over 15 years old produce the best quality fruit. However, due to market fluctuations and climate change, grapefruit growing in Bang Luan is facing many challenges.

In recent years, due to the decline in the value of grapefruit, the average selling price is only 5,000 - 6,000 VND/fruit, so some people are no longer interested in the profession as before. To maintain and improve the quality of Doan Hung grapefruit, many households have applied the grafting method to convert from sour grapefruit to sweet grapefruit. This is an effective solution to increase productivity without having to wait much time, after only two years the tree can bear fruit.

However, the people here still have faith in grapefruit trees, and at the same time, believe in the support and assistance policies of the authorities, localities, and businesses for stable output in the future. With experience, creativity, and improvements in cultivation techniques, they are gradually finding the right direction to preserve the Doan Hung grapefruit brand, while increasing income from this traditional crop.

March is the season of grapefruit flowers blooming.

Another flower season has returned to the decades-old gardens. In the space filled with a fresh fragrance, the diligent farmers step by step bring pollen to each pistil, helping most of the grapefruit trees have a high fruit set rate, sowing hope for a fruitful season, maintaining the position of Doan Hung grapefruit in the Vietnamese agricultural market.

Bao Thoa

Source: https://baophutho.vn/mua-se-duyen-cho-buoi-229734.htm