Risk of durian crop failure

(GLO) - From the beginning of 2025 until now, the erratic weather in Gia Lai province has significantly affected the flowering and fruiting process of durian trees. Durian growers are facing the worry of crop failure.

Unpredictable weather

Durian is a specialty crop, very finicky and sensitive to weather conditions. Especially during the flowering stage, even a small change in weather can affect the flowering and fruiting process. The erratic weather patterns in the early months of 2025 in many localities within the province are the main reason why many durian orchards are facing the risk of crop failure.

Mr. Le Hung's durian orchard also needs a third flowering cycle, but the risk of crop failure is very high because the harvest time will coincide with heavy rain, causing the durian flesh to become tough and fibrous. Photo: QT

Specifically, in January and February 2025, cold air from the North, accompanied by strong winds and frost, caused significant leaf drop in durian trees, preventing them from flowering. Therefore, many orchards had to induce flowering a second and third time. However, in the following months, prolonged hot weather (with large temperature differences between day and night) resulted in uneven flowering and fruit setting, and even premature fruit drop.

At the end of 2024, Mr. Le Hung's family's durian orchard (Hamlet 2, Nghia Hoa Commune, Chu Pah District) had lush foliage, creating ideal conditions for flowering. However, due to the frost at the beginning of 2025, the trees lost all their leaves, preventing the first flowering cycle. Subsequently, the climate changed rapidly, with a sudden drop in temperature and strong winds caused by the cold air mass, further damaging the durian orchard.

Therefore, at this point, his family's durian orchard is still flowering sporadically. The uneven flowering of the trees makes care difficult (different fertilizers and pesticides are needed for each stage of fruit development).

“To date, I have invested hundreds of millions of dong in fertilizers and pesticides for my orchard, but this year's weather is too harsh, making it very difficult to get the trees to flower. This time last year, the durian trees were entering the harvesting stage, and some orchards had even already harvested, but this year they are only just beginning to flower and bear fruit.”

"Based on experience, if the fruit sets and doesn't fall off, the harvest time will coincide with prolonged rain, causing the durian flesh to become tough and unripe, making it unsaleable at a high price. Instead, it can only be sold as ice cream at a low price, reducing its value by 60-70%," Mr. Hung said sadly.

Mr. Nguyen Thien Nhat (Hoa Loc village, Ia Phang commune, Chu Puh district) sadly stands beside his durian orchard, where the fruit has fallen due to the weather. Photo: QT

Although unaffected by frost, the durian orchard of over 200 trees belonging to Mr. Nguyen Thien Nhat (Hoa Loc village, Ia Phang commune, Chu Puh district) was also impacted by the prolonged heatwave. During the day, temperatures sometimes reached 37-39 degrees Celsius, then dropped sharply at night, causing the durian trees to suffer from "heat shock," resulting in significant fruit drop.

Mr. Nhat shared: “Durian trees are very sensitive to weather, especially the temperature difference between day and night, which greatly affects the flowering and fruiting process. Therefore, along with using some specialized foliar fertilizers to enhance the plant's resistance, I also focus on maintaining moisture in the orchard.”

To minimize "heat shock" to the orchard, I make sure to water early in the morning and increase the use of drip irrigation. However, fruit drop still occurs. If the weather continues to be as unpredictable as it is now, the risk of crop failure is very high."

Meanwhile, Mr. Nguyen The Minh, Director of Nghia Hoa Agricultural Service Cooperative (Chu Pah district), said: This season, most durian orchards in the area have been affected by the weather. His family's durian orchard of over 100 trees has already had to "flower" for the third time, but the remaining fruit is very little.

“The harsh weather has made ‘flowering’ the durian orchard very difficult. Last year we only had to do the first flowering cycle, but this year we have to do the third, and even that isn’t very promising. Not to mention, the trees are only just starting to bloom, and the harvest won’t begin until August or September, coinciding with a period of heavy rain, making the durian flesh inevitably tough. A crop failure is unavoidable,” Mr. Minh confided.

Despite having to induce flowering for the third time, the durian orchard of Mr. Nguyen The Minh (Nghia Hoa commune, Chu Pah district) is not looking very promising. Photo: QT

Proactive response

According to durian growers, there are many reasons for fruit drop, such as physiological premature fruit drop and nutritional imbalances. In particular, durian is a finicky crop, sensitive to weather conditions. During flowering and fruiting, intense sunlight or sudden rain can severely affect the fruit setting process.

Mr. Vo Van Tan, Director of the Agricultural Services Center of Chu Pah district, informed: The entire district has more than 600 hectares of durian, mainly intercropped in coffee gardens. Of which, about 400 hectares are in the production stage. Recently, unusual weather patterns have led to the phenomenon of durian flowers and young fruits falling off, posing a risk of reduced yield.

"Durian is a sensitive crop, difficult to care for. Especially during the flowering and fruiting stages, extreme weather conditions can greatly affect yield and fruit quality. Flower and fruit drop occurs every year, especially at the beginning of the rainy season."

"The center has also provided technical training for durian growers. However, in reality, it is still difficult to avoid the situation where durian flowers and young fruits fall off due to adverse weather conditions," said the Director of the Agricultural Services Center of Chu Pah district.

The province currently has approximately 6,387 hectares of durian, mainly concentrated in the districts of Chư Prông, Chư Sê, Chư Păh, Chư Pưh, Đức Cơ, Đak Đoa, etc. In 2024, the average durian yield reached 159 quintals/hectare.

According to Mr. Nguyen Minh Tu, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Chu Puh district: The total area of ​​durian in the district is approximately 772 hectares, of which about 370 hectares are currently in production.

Recently, people have proactively invested in water-saving irrigation systems for durian trees to prevent them from experiencing thermal shock. Recently, some durian orchards have experienced flower and young fruit drop, mainly due to physiological reasons.

The District People's Committee directed specialized agencies to organize two training courses on flower management, young fruit care, and disease control for durian trees so that people could understand the care process to prevent flower and young fruit drop, which would lead to crop failure and affect people's income.

Speaking with reporters, Mr. Hoang Thi Tho, Deputy Head of the Provincial Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection (Department of Agriculture and Environment), said: In recent times, climate change has significantly affected the area of ​​durian trees in the province. In particular, extreme weather phenomena such as prolonged heatwaves, strong winds, and localized tornadoes have caused the shedding of flowers and young durian fruits in some districts: Chu Pah, Ia Grai, Chu Puh, Chu Prong, Duc Co…

"To minimize fruit drop in durian trees during the fruit development stage, farmers need to increase the application of phosphorus, potassium, and other fertilizers supplemented with silicon and other macro and micronutrients such as magnesium and sodium. At the same time, they should focus on maintaining soil moisture, increasing the use of drip irrigation technology, and concentrating watering in the early morning to avoid thermal shock to the trees."

"People also need to string ropes and stakes to anchor the surrounding branches to the tree trunk, and secure each branch to the ground to keep the tree more stable, reduce shaking when strong winds cause branches to break and fruit to fall," Mr. Tho advised.

In the long term, the Department of Agriculture and Environment has also issued a document requesting localities to focus on directing the implementation of solutions to guide people in developing durian cultivation in a sustainable manner.

Specifically, it advises people not to spontaneously expand durian cultivation in areas with unsuitable land and climate. They should not cut down other crops to switch to durian cultivation alone, and should not convert efficient coffee or pepper plantations to durian cultivation.

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Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/nguy-co-mat-mua-sau-rieng-post323013.html