Using quicklime to treat salinity to grow lotus in West Lake

04/03/2024 | 10:50

TPO - To cover 7.5 hectares by June, starting from March 3rd, the Tay Ho District People's Committee has coordinated with the Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute and the Hanoi City Agricultural Extension Center to treat the lakes and restore the experimental cultivation of West Lake lotus in 4 small lakes around West Lake.

To ensure the lotus crop is ready for June, the Tay Ho District People's Committee, in coordination with the Institute of Vegetable and Fruit Research and the Hanoi City Agricultural Extension Center, simultaneously carried out the pumping of water from Dau Dong Lake and the application of lime to disinfect and clean the lake water. On March 3rd, the units began pumping water to clean Dau Dong Lake.

The Central Institute of Horticultural Research and the Hanoi Agricultural Extension Center provided lime, preparations, chemicals, etc., to treat the water and rehabilitate the lake.

The breeding was carried out to prepare seedlings for 16 households in Tay Ho district to care for, harvest, and preserve West Lake lotus.

Given the high soil moisture levels, experts will use approximately 1 ton of lime powder to treat the saline and acidic soil in the reservoir area. After about a week, when the lime-treated soil dries, it will be plowed, dried, treated with PM microbial solution, mixed with organic fertilizer, and then planted.

The activity is part of the project "Building a model for lotus production linked to ecotourism development along the value chain in Tay Ho - Hanoi," which was implemented from February 17th to November 15th. It is expected that the lotus will be brought to Dau Dong Lake for planting by April 2nd.

"The lotus varieties will be healthy varieties from West Lake, grown in pots and cared for and treated with a special regime. After three rounds of seed control, including selecting clean mother plants with healthy tubers, and removing diseased plants during planting to prevent spread, the lotus will be used for propagation," said Professor Dr. Dang Van Dong - Deputy Director of the Institute of Vegetable and Fruit Research, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, who visited the planting ponds to disseminate the soil treatment method for lotus cultivation.
According to a representative from the Tay Ho District People's Committee, it is expected that lotus flowers will cover 7.5 hectares in the first phase by June, and in the next phase, lotus flowers will be planted on an area of ​​approximately 20 hectares in 18 small lakes surrounding West Lake.

The West Lake lotus has been recognized as intellectual property; it is a special type of lotus with up to 100 petals.

Products derived from lotus include flowers used to flavor tea, flowers for decoration, and seeds used in food, all linked to tourism development.

According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tinh, Vice Chairman of the Tay Ho District People's Committee, since 2018, changes in weather and water quality have reduced the area dedicated to lotus cultivation (the raw material for lotus-infused tea). "Restoring and developing lotus cultivation is essential to create a beautiful landscape around West Lake, as well as to develop the lotus-infused tea industry and other lotus-related products," Mr. Tinh stated.

Phung Linh

Source: https://tienphong.vn/dung-voi-bot-xu-ly-phen-man-de-trong-sen-ho-tay-post1616963.tpo