Growing chrysanthemums in the winter in highlands helps increase crop yields and improve soil quality.

In Lao Cai, growing chrysanthemums for medicinal purposes not only helps highland farmers increase crop yields but also improves soil quality, facilitating organic rice production in subsequent seasons.

In Lao Cai, growing chrysanthemums for medicinal purposes not only helps highland farmers increase crop yields but also improves soil quality, facilitating organic rice production in subsequent seasons.

In the highlands, people can currently only produce one rice crop per year. When winter arrives, temperatures drop sharply, making farming very difficult and resulting in low economic efficiency, so the land is almost completely left fallow, which is very wasteful.

Faced with this situation, the Bat Xat District Agricultural Service Center has piloted the cultivation of chrysanthemums in highland communes to help local people increase crop yields and improve their income. Furthermore, growing chrysanthemums also helps improve soil quality and reduce the risk of pests and diseases in rice crops in subsequent seasons through crop rotation and intercropping.

Cây cúc chi rất phù hợp với khí hậu, thổ nhưỡng ở vùng cao. Ảnh: Hải Đăng. — Chrysanthemum plants are well-suited to the climate and soil conditions of the highlands. Photo: *Hai Dang.*

According to Mr. Si Trung Kien, Director of the Agricultural Services Center of Bat Xat district, crop rotation between dryland and aquatic crops helps eliminate many pathogens in the soil. Meanwhile, chrysanthemum production, adhering to medicinal plant standards, also contributes to the management and development of organic rice cultivation on this land. This, in turn, increases the value of the cultivated land.

Currently, chrysanthemums are being grown on a trial basis at two locations: Quang Kim commune and Muong Hum commune in Bat Xat district.

Mr. Tan Lao San, residing in Ky Quan San village, Muong Hum commune, is one of the households that utilizes uncultivated rice fields during the winter to grow chrysanthemums. After more than a month, the chrysanthemum plants have grown and developed well, adapting to the highland climate.

"Growing chrysanthemums isn't overly complicated technically. Farmers are provided with seeds, fertilizers, and microbial products for planting and caring for the plants until harvest. Participating households receive hands-on guidance from fertilizing and mounding the soil around the base of the plants to pruning the branches."

Chrysanthemum is a dryland crop, so the soil must be loose, nutrient-rich, and growers need to be careful not to let the plants become waterlogged. Because chrysanthemums are grown for medicinal purposes, farmers must absolutely not use pesticides or herbicides to ensure the product is completely safe,” Mr. Tan Lao San shared.

This winter, Muong Hum commune planned to plant 10 hectares of chrysanthemums, but due to the impact of typhoon No. 3, the planting season was delayed. Therefore, for the time being, chrysanthemums are being grown on a small scale by a few households. After a thorough assessment, the planting will be expanded to a larger scale.

Chrysanthemum plants are expected to help highland farmers increase crop yields and income during the winter, while also contributing to soil improvement for organic rice production in other seasons of the year. Photo: Hai Dang. — Chrysanthemum plants are expected to help highland farmers increase crop yields and income during the winter, while also contributing to soil improvement for organic rice production in other seasons of the year. Photo: *Hai Dang.*

According to Mr. Chau Van Chung, Chairman of the People's Committee of Muong Hum commune, the units implementing the model will closely coordinate with the local authorities and the district's agricultural sector throughout the planting, caring, and harvesting stages, and will establish economic and technical standards suitable to the local climate, soil, and farming conditions to improve productivity, quality, and economic efficiency for farmers.

At the agricultural extension farm of the Bat Xat District Agricultural Service Center in Lang Quang village, Quang Kim commune (Bat Xat district), nearly 1 hectare of chrysanthemum plants have begun to bloom. However, the chrysanthemums here will not be harvested immediately but will be allowed to grow strong before being propagated. According to Mr. Si Trung Kiem, producing the seedlings themselves will reduce costs by half compared to buying seedlings from provinces in the lowlands and increase the economic efficiency of chrysanthemum cultivation.

According to the Bat Xat District Agricultural Service Center, after the area for growing chrysanthemums is expanded by local farmers, the district will register a planting area code to monitor production status, control pests, and trace the origin of the product. Fresh flowers after harvesting are currently being purchased on-site by businesses at a price of 21,000 VND/kg...

Chrysanthemum indicum is a perennial plant native to East Asia. To date, over 190 chemical compounds have been isolated from chrysanthemum. Chrysanthemum possesses numerous beneficial pharmacological properties such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, anticancer, immune-regulating, and liver-protective effects. This plant is also well-suited for cultivation in high-altitude regions.

In Lao Cai, growing chrysanthemums for medicinal purposes not only helps highland farmers increase crop yields but also improves soil quality, facilitating organic rice production in subsequent seasons.

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