Booth 7 and 034 avocado varieties are grown in Van Du town (Thach Thanh).
Sowing "green gold" seeds
At the 300m2 specialized greenhouse of Thanh Hoa Agricultural Institute, 210 mother avocado trees of two varieties Booth 7 and 034 have developed stably after 3 years of care, with uniform growth, lush green and few pests and diseases. Currently, the trees are entering the second harvest, a key stage to evaluate fruit quality and yield potential before selecting parent trees for large-scale seed production.
According to the assessment, the quality of avocado is recorded as excellent. The flesh is thick, the core is firm; the flavor is fragrant, rich, and chewy, true to the characteristics of high-quality avocado varieties. In particular, the fruit is large, uniform in size, and has a small seed ratio, which are important criteria to serve the consumer and processing markets. In addition to 210 mother trees, Thanh Hoa Agricultural Institute has implemented a seed production model with a scale of 1,500 trees/variety/year. The application of technology in greenhouses helps to control pests and diseases well, increase the survival rate of grafts and uniform the quality of seedlings. In 2022 and 2024, the institute produced 9,067 grafted trees, of which 7,283 trees met the standards for export (exceeding 121% of the set target). These trees have been distributed to many models in Thuong Xuan, Nhu Xuan, Thach Thanh, Ha Trung and Thanh Hoa City.
In addition, the maintenance of the mother tree garden for 3 years also shows the determination of Thanh Hoa Agricultural Institute in building a systematic tree breeding system with a clear scientific basis. Not only paying attention to growth indicators such as height, trunk diameter, and foliage, but also fruit quality, a factor that determines commercial value, is also carefully monitored and analyzed...
However, one of the major obstacles at present is that the mother orchard has not been recognized as a “parent orchard”. This is a necessary legal condition to be allowed to exploit grafted buds for large-scale seed production. Meanwhile, the seed market still depends on imports from the southern provinces, which poses many potential risks regarding quality. Therefore, early recognition of parent orchards will pave the way for an ecosystem of standard avocado seed production right on the spot, which is a prerequisite for the development of sustainable specialized areas.
Expectations from practice
From a well-established technological foundation, the commercial planting models of Booth 7 and 034 avocados quickly came into practice and brought about clear results.
210 mother avocado trees of two varieties Booth 7 and 034 are still maintained, cared for, evaluated and monitored at Thanh Hoa Agricultural Institute.
In Tan Binh commune, Nhu Xuan district, where the terrain is typically mountainous and the arable land is limited, the Booth 7 and 034 avocado planting model has been implemented on a total area of 4 hectares. Through a field survey, the project management board selected two typical households to implement the model, Mr. Do Trung Ha (Tan Thang village) and Mr. Vi Van Thuong (Tan Lap village). Both households belong to the group of ethnic minority farmers who are proactive and actively participate in crop conversion.
On this area, two avocado varieties are planted at a ratio of 1:1 (each variety is 2ha). The total number of seedlings provided is 2,020, of which 1,600 are planted directly and 420 are used for replanting. The planting process is closely monitored from soil preparation, digging holes to post-planting care and pest control. Currently, after more than 3 years, the trees are growing steadily, green, and some trees are showing signs of early flowering, promising that the first crop of fruit will yield the expected quality.
Mr. Ha shared: “I used to grow cassava and acacia but the results were not high. When I learned about the avocado growing model, and was provided with seeds and technical training, I was very excited. If the tree grows properly as instructed, I believe this is a tree that can help people here change their lives.” Preliminary assessments show that the tree has few pests and diseases, is quite drought-resistant, and is especially suitable for sloping land and thin cultivation layers.
Not only bringing hope for income, the model also helps to green bare land, contributing to protecting the ecosystem of the area bordering Xuan Lien Nature Reserve, where the project has agreed to expand by 1 hectare to continue monitoring the adaptability of trees in semi-wild natural forest conditions.
In Thuong Xuan district, the commercial avocado growing model was assigned to Thanh Xuan General Agricultural Service Cooperative (Thanh Xuan commune) as the focal point for implementation, on an area of 3 hectares of hilly land. The Cooperative has received 1,680 seedlings from the project, including 1,200 official trees and 480 reserve trees for replacement. The avocado trees are evenly distributed between two varieties: 1.5 hectares of Booth 7 avocado and 1.5 hectares of 034 avocado. Currently, the avocado trees are growing well, branching evenly, with few pests and diseases, and a high survival rate after planting. Some trees have yielded their first harvest and show clear commercial potential.
Sharing the initial results after more than 3 years of implementing the project, MSc. Pham Thi Ly, project manager, commented: “We are satisfied with the scientific and practical effectiveness of the project. In the climate and soil conditions of Thanh Hoa mountainous region, the two avocado varieties Booth 7 and 034 have adapted well, grown strongly, produced stable fruit and high quality. These are very important factors if we want to develop into a long-term commodity production area.”
According to Ms. Ly, one of the noteworthy points after the project acceptance is the sense of responsibility and dedication of the staff of Thanh Hoa Agricultural Institute. Although the project has ended and there is no more state budget funding, the institute continues to maintain, monitor and comprehensively evaluate the mother tree garden with 210 original seedlings.
“We clearly identify that this is not just a short-term task within the framework of a project, but the foundation for a long-term avocado variety production strategy. Therefore, continuing to observe growth, monitor fruit quality, yield and adaptability of each variety will be seriously implemented for at least the next 3 years,” Ms. Ly emphasized.
She also added that the data collected during the post-acceptance phase will be the scientific basis for selecting parent trees, gradually completing the dossier for recognizing parent gardens - an important condition for proactively producing high-quality varieties on-site, serving the needs of sustainable development of the avocado region in Thanh Hoa mountainous region.
Although it is still in its early stages, the initial results of the Booth 7 and 034 avocado projects in Thanh Hoa have created a solid foundation for a new direction in the development of mountainous agriculture. From well-invested mother orchards to households dedicated to caring for the trees, the belief in a “green gold” tree is gradually taking shape. If supported by appropriate policies and long-term development strategies, avocado trees will contribute to increasing income, improving people’s livelihoods and sustainably enriching lands with much untapped potential.
Article and photos: Tran Hang
Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/mo-duong-dua-cay-vang-xanh-ve-dong-dat-xu-thanh-251396.htm
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