Ho Chi Minh City Young intellectuals instruct farmers to grow high-tech melons in greenhouses, using a hydroponic system that can earn nearly 120 million VND for four crops a year on an area of 1,000 square meters.
The information was shared by Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy Trinh, Deputy Head of the Plant and Animal Research Department, Center for High-Tech Agricultural Research and Development (HCMC High-Tech Agricultural Zone) at a training session on high-tech melon growing techniques. The activity is within the framework of the Young Volunteer Scientific Intellectuals program launched by the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union on the morning of February 24.
Master Nguyen Thi Thuy Trinh introduces high-tech melon growing techniques to farmers in Long Thoi commune, Nha Be district, on the morning of February 24. Photo: Ha An
Melon has the scientific name Cucumis melo L. belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family, is a fruit tree with a short growing period (about 60 - 70 days) so it can be grown in many crops a year with a fairly high yield, reaching 2.5 - 3 tons per 1,000 m2. According to Master Trinh, melon grows well in warm, dry, and bright climates, suitable for planting in the Southern region. This is a fruit tree with high nutritional value, especially for pregnant women, helping to prevent some diseases such as osteoporosis, helping to lower blood pressure... Melon can be grown on soil or using growing media in areas with saline and alum soil.
Ms. Trinh said that depending on investment conditions, farmers can build greenhouses or drive their own stakes and use covering materials to prevent pests from entering. This helps farmers reduce the use of pesticides and labor, helping fruits grow better. Greenhouses need to be designed with tiled roofs and covered with tarpaulins that allow sunlight to pass through to help plants photosynthesize best.
In addition to greenhouses, farmers need to invest in drip irrigation systems to help control the amount of water and fertilizer for plants. Depending on the growth stage of the plant, water and fertilizer are provided with different frequencies and amounts, helping the melon grow effectively. Coconut fiber, soybean hulls... are used as growing media to provide nutrients for the plants.
Melons can also be grown on 10 - 20 cm long troughs or directly on beds in areas with good soil. Seeds are incubated in trays for 10 - 15 days. When the plants have two leaves and meet standards such as no bruises, well-developed shoots, no pests or diseases... then planting can begin.
According to Master Trinh, the source of melon seeds is mainly from Taiwan and Japan, with a yield of 1.3 - 2 kg per plant. During the flowering stage, growers can manually pollinate or use bees as pollinators for the plants. Experts recommend that people only maintain one fruit per plant and cut the top after one month of planting. This helps the plant concentrate nutrients for the fruit to reach its highest weight. If the mesh surface on the fruit is uniform, the melon will be of the best quality and the fruit will be sweet.
According to experts, during the growing process, melons can be affected by some pests such as thrips, whiteflies and diseases such as powdery mildew, downy mildew, stem cracking and sap flow... Therefore, farmers need to have a prevention plan such as pest control from the nursery stage, treating greenhouses before planting, using some types of stink bugs, ladybugs to control pests or using biological drugs to prevent diseases. Melons can be grown on the terrace in styrofoam boxes for areas with limited space, suitable for household size. At this scale, people have better conditions to care for and check for pests and diseases, so the possibility of plants getting sick is lower than when growing on a large scale. Meanwhile, the volume and quality of fruit grown on the terrace is not inferior to other growing methods.
According to calculations, with an area of 1,000 m2, the investment cost for a greenhouse, drip irrigation system, seeds, labor... is about 45.5 million VND. With this area, farmers can harvest melons with a yield of about 2.5 tons per crop. With a wholesale price of 30,000 VND per kg on the market, they can earn 75 million VND per crop, achieving a profit of 29.5 million. If farmers can grow four crops, the profit can reach 118 million VND per year.
Melons grown using the high-tech model of the Center for High-Tech Agricultural Research and Development (Ho Chi Minh City High-Tech Agricultural Zone). Photo: AHRD
Ms. Ha Thi Tiep, 64 years old, living in Long Thoi commune, shared that the program helps farmers gain a lot of useful knowledge about high-tech melon growing techniques. She assessed that this is a fruit with quite high economic value, fast harvest time, moderate cost, so it has a lot of potential for investment in household economic models, especially the method of growing melons on the roof. "We hope to be guided with practical techniques to test small-scale planting, then expand if the results are favorable," Ms. Tiep said.
The Young Volunteer Scientific Intellectuals Program has been organized annually by the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union for the past 15 years. Implementing the program, intellectuals who are young scientists will go to rural areas, economically disadvantaged areas of Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring localities to share and support farmers in applying scientific and technological advances in cultivation, animal husbandry, digital transformation... to help improve their lives.
On the morning of February 24, in addition to melon growing techniques, young scientists trained farmers in methods of commercial crab farming, apricot blossom growing, hydroponic vegetable growing, oyster mushroom growing, etc. In 2024, it is expected that there will be 40 topics to disseminate techniques to farmers. In addition, young intellectuals also participate in rural development with activities such as donating computers, STEM education for students, free medical examination and medicine, installing water purifiers, and installing solar lights for people.
Mr. Doan Kim Thanh, Director of the Center for Youth Science and Technology Development (Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union) said that over many years of organization, the program has gathered thousands of young intellectuals to participate in consulting activities to transfer agricultural techniques to farmers in the city and the Central Highlands and Southern regions. He believes that with the youth's strength and spirit, the volunteer young scientific intellectual program will bring many good values to the community.
Ha An
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