Taking advantage of the sunny weather, Nghe An farmers restore production after the flood

Quynh Lien residents go to the fields to take care of crops after the flood. Photo: TP

Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan's family in Lien Hai village (Quynh Lien commune, Hoang Mai town) planted 7 sao of winter carrots that were 20 days old when they encountered continuous heavy rains, and the entire area was deeply submerged in water. After the water receded, the muddy soil was exposed to strong sunlight, causing the plants to rot and die, resulting in total loss.

Mr. Tuan said: "Just the cost of seeds and fertilizer alone has cost 2 million/sao. Now all the plants are dead, we have to rake them up, wait for the soil to dry and plant a new crop."

As a locality specializing in vegetable cultivation, people planted the winter crop quite early. By the end of September 2023, the entire Quynh Lien commune had planted 351 hectares of crops. Of which, 55 hectares of chayote, 35 hectares of carrots, 32 hectares of onions, 28 hectares of squash, 5 hectares of corn, 5 hectares of potatoes, and 181 hectares of various vegetables. Heavy rain and floodwaters caused 110 hectares of farmers' crops to be completely damaged.

Remaking trellis for squash plants in Quynh Lien. Photo: TP

Mr. Ho Ngoc Tang, Chairman of Quynh Lien Commune People's Committee said: "After the water receded and the rain stopped, the commune directed people to stay in the fields to recover production. For lightly flooded areas, dredge between the ditches to drain the water, wait for the land to dry, then lightly plow, break the topsoil to help the soil aerate, and the plants to quickly rebuild their roots.

At the same time, spraying and washing the leaves to remove mud and dirt helps the leaves photosynthesize and breathe well. For areas that are heavily flooded and completely damaged, drain the water to dry the soil, clean up plant debris and prepare the soil, dry the soil to plant a new crop.

Harvesting flooded radishes, clearing the residue to make room for new planting. Photo: TP

In the vegetable-growing commune of Quynh Luong (Quynh Luu), the recent heavy rain also caused severe damage to 153 hectares of vegetables such as green onions, carrots, kohlrabi, mustard greens, etc., which were completely damaged. Taking advantage of the sunny weather, Quynh Luu farmers went to the fields to harvest and salvage whatever they could.

Mr. Ly Van Vinh (Hamlet 6, Quynh Luong Commune) said: "4 sao of onions were about to be harvested when the rain flooded. When the sun came out, the onions wilted and the leaves turned yellow, so we had to mobilize manpower to pull them out, process them, sell them to traders, and clear the land to plant a new crop."

Taking care of vegetables in Nam Anh (Nam Dan). Photo: TP

Heavy rains also caused 15 hectares of winter crops of farmers in Dien Phong commune (Dien Chau), mainly cabbages that had just been planted, to completely die. Small households had 1 sao, large households had 2-3 sao. Now people are waiting for the sun and dry soil to replant.

Ms. Chu Thi Mai, an agricultural official of Dien Phong commune (Dien Chau), said: “This year, Dien Phong farmers have not planted many winter crops, so the damage is not significant. The flood water is not deep but it lasts for a long time. After the flood, the hot weather causes the plants to rot and die in the middle of the field. They cannot recover, so we have to completely destroy 15 hectares of cabbage. Currently, people are clearing trees, digging ditches to drain water, waiting for the soil to dry so they can plant vegetables in time for the season.”

Farmers in Hung Dong (Vinh City) have managed to sow a new crop of vegetables after flooding. Photo: TP

In the alluvial plains along the Lam River in Nam Dan such as Trung Phuc Cuong and Thuong Tan Loc (Nam Dan), high floodwaters caused crops such as corn and squash to be inundated. Now, after the water receded, people have gone to the fields to overcome the consequences. Most of the glutinous corn area is about to be harvested, so people cut it young and sell it to traders. As for the hybrid corn area, which has just flowered, after the water receded, people erected and tied the plants; the areas that cannot be restored are cut for animal feed and sold to livestock farms.

Mr. Pham Dang Manh, Thien Tan hamlet (Thuong Tan Loc commune) said: “Heavy rain, rising river water, 1 acre of corn near the river bank is flooded up to the neck of the flower. Waiting for the water to recede before daring to harvest, selling at half the previous price but still have to salvage. In higher plots, hybrid corn, newly flowering, growing silk, we proceed to plant the plants when the soil is still wet to limit root breakage, wilting, combined with digging to break the crust, and hilling the base. In the past two days, I have had to mobilize my children to help plant the fallen corn.”

The water receded, and the people of Thuong Tan Loc replanted the corn plants while the soil was still wet to avoid breaking the roots. Photo: TP

After the flood, the water flooded so rats from the river bank flooded into the crop area and caused damage. The commune also called on people to use biological pesticides and traps to kill rats. At the same time, they focused on preparing the land for the winter crop.

According to preliminary statistics, during the recent heavy rains, the whole province had 2,904 hectares of rice and 3,989 hectares of crops, fruit trees, and industrial trees flooded and broken. Currently, the agricultural sector and localities are directing and accompanying farmers to restore production after the heavy rains.

According to the recommendation of the Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection, for newly planted vegetable areas, seedlings with roots that have not yet developed strongly should be lightly hoeed to help the plants recover faster, combined with replanting of defective plants to ensure density. At the same time, lift the mulch near the base of the tree to expose the soil for the roots to be airy, water evaporates faster and fungi and bacteria do not arise and harm the roots.

As for the harvested trees, people are focusing on lightly loosening the soil at the base, actively using pesticides to prevent some pests and diseases that often occur after floods such as: canker, stem cracking, oozing, yellow leaves, root rot...

Source: https://baonghean.vn/tranh-thu-troi-nang-nong-dan-nghe-an-khoi-phuc-san-xuat-sau-lu-post277590.html