Fruit trees have been and continue to bring high economic benefits to the people; however, there are many areas planted with old, long-standing varieties that have low yields and quality, and are easily attacked by pests and diseases. "Rejuvenating" old, degenerated fruit trees through pruning and grafting techniques is one of the solutions being implemented by people in various localities.
The family of Mr. Nguyen Van Cai, from Hang Mon 1 village, Phieng Khoai commune, Yen Chau district, owns 1.5 hectares of plum trees. Previously, the plums sold to traders at an average price of 10,000 VND/kg. After the orchard was renovated and the fruit quality improved, the plums were sorted, and the selling price at the orchard reached 30,000 VND/kg, with off-season plums selling for 100,000 VND/kg; generating an income of approximately 400 million VND/ha. Mr. Cai said: "My family has meticulously cared for the trees, grafting, pruning, shaping the canopy, and investing in an automatic irrigation system, resulting in delicious plums with high economic value."
Currently, all households in Phiêng Khoài commune have implemented grafting to improve their plum trees. Mr. Bùi Văn Quân, Vice Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, shared: "The late-season plum trees have been planted in this area since the 1990s, mainly to grow naturally. Therefore, the fruit was small and the yield was low. Resolution No. 28/2017/NQ-HĐND dated March 15, 2017, of the Provincial People's Council, which stipulates a support policy of 200,000 VND/household participating in grafting to improve mixed orchards, has changed the mindset of the people. Since then, the movement to graft and improve plum orchards in the commune has spread widely, with many new techniques being applied, creating high-quality plum products with high economic value."
To date, Phiêng Khoài commune has 2,900 hectares of late-season plums, of which 2,300 hectares are currently producing fruit, accounting for two-thirds of the plum growing area in Yên Châu district. Having successfully grafted and improved plum trees, farmers in Phiêng Khoài continue to learn techniques for pruning, shaping, and stimulating off-season fruiting. Currently, the average selling price ranges from 50,000 to 100,000 VND/kg depending on the variety, many times higher than the price of plums grown previously.
Nong Xom village, Hat Lot commune, Mai Son district, one of the communes with the largest area of fruit trees in Mai Son district, has actively implemented tree grafting and improvement to enhance quality.
A prime example is the family of Mr. Nguyen Ba Thanh, who successfully grafted mandarin oranges onto pomelo rootstock. Mr. Thanh stated: "My family has over 4 hectares of pomelo trees, both Dien and green-skinned varieties, planted more than 10 years ago. In 2020, I went to Bac Giang to study and brought the grafting technique to improve over 1 hectare of mandarin oranges onto my family's pomelo rootstocks. In 2023, the grafted mandarin orange trees on the pomelo rootstocks bore fruit, yielding over 5 tons, with an average selling price of 45,000 VND/kg; notably, through monitoring, the grafted mandarin orange trees on pomelo rootstocks are almost disease-free."
According to Mr. Thanh, the most suitable time for grafting is around February to March in the lunar calendar; the rootstock should be healthy trees that are growing and developing well. When grafting, the process must be decisive and quick, ensuring the sap of the graft bud does not dry out; the graft bud must be wrapped tightly in plastic; and the side branches of the rootstock should be regularly pruned so that the grafted bud has enough nutrients to develop well.
Ms. Cam Thi Phong, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said: The province currently has nearly 83,000 hectares of fruit trees; to date, over 13,000 hectares have been grafted and improved with high-yield, high-quality varieties. This includes 3,967 hectares of mangoes, over 7,600 hectares of longan, nearly 800 hectares of oranges and pomelos, and many other fruit trees. Currently, the agricultural sector is developing grafting models to replace old trees with high-yield, high-quality, and economically valuable varieties, such as: a grafting model for the golden longan variety; a grafting model for pineapple-shaped custard apple and durian-shaped custard apple from local custard apple rootstock... The application of advanced science and technology in production helps farmers create high-yield orchards that are resistant to adverse conditions.
With the goal of increasing the value of fruit trees, the agricultural sector is stepping up support for farmers to improve old and degraded varieties by using high-quality, high-yield seed sources. Farmers need to adhere to and apply the standards of transferred technologies to produce fruit tree varieties with good, stable yields and quality, contributing to the sustainable development of fruit trees in Son La.
Nguyen Yen
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