Application of grafting techniques

Fruit trees have been and continue to bring high economic benefits to people in many places; however, a considerable area is planted with old varieties, resulting in low yields and quality, and complex pest and disease situations. Therefore, to "rejuvenate" degraded fruit tree areas, pruning and grafting techniques are one of the solutions widely applied by people in various localities.

Applying grafting techniques – a solution for Applying grafting techniques at the fruit farm of Mr. Khuong Huu Nien, Dong Tan ward ( Thanh Hoa City).

In 2018, the Nhu Thanh District Horticultural and Farming Association conducted a field survey of fruit trees in the communes and found that there were a relatively large number of longan trees aged 6 to 30 years and sour pomelo and American pomelo varieties. However, the economic efficiency was not high, and in many years, they did not yield any harvest. Faced with this situation, the district association sought ways to change people's mindset, encouraging them to improve the longan and pomelo trees by applying grafting technology with higher-quality varieties. Mr. Le Van Lieu, Chairman of the Gardening and Farming Association of Nhu Thanh District, said: “To expand this method, the association has organized training courses to guide members and local people on the techniques, and organized visits to farms that have successfully applied the method and achieved clear results. This method helps people avoid cutting down old trees that have been planted for many years and have low economic efficiency, utilizing the roots and trunks of the trees to graft with new varieties that not only bear abundant fruit and good quality but also have a faster harvest time and bring high economic efficiency. In addition, the mother trees are reduced in height, have beautiful canopies, are rejuvenated, and the product ensures the characteristic features of the mother tree. Currently, the entire district has grafted 20,000 buds on 600 longan and pomelo trees, all of which have high yields, production, and fruit quality. In the future, the Gardening and Farming Association of Nhu Thanh District will continue to guide people to implement the grafting method for longan and sour pomelo trees that are 5 years old or older.”

However, grafting is a new technique that requires growers to spend a lot of time researching and applying it to master the knowledge of cutting and grafting suitable plants, paying attention to nutrition, and pest and disease control. Mr. Khuong Huu Nien, owner of a fruit farm in Dong Tan ward (Thanh Hoa city), said: "Most of the longan orchards in my farm use grafting to shorten the time it takes for the trees to bear fruit, making them healthier and less susceptible to pests and diseases due to the large root system and branch structure of the parent tree... However, this method also carries many risks because if the mother tree is diseased, it can spread to the offspring through many generations. The processes of handling the rootstock, scion, grafting, and fixing the scion require the grafter to be skilled and meticulous. The most suitable time for grafting longan is around March to April of the lunar calendar, when the survival rate of the scion is very high, from 80 to 90%. In addition, the rootstock should be at least 2 months old and from young trees." "Healthy, growing and developing well." According to Mr. Nien, grafting must be done quickly, and the graft union must not be allowed to dry out. The graft union must be wrapped tightly in plastic to prevent insect damage. Regular pruning of the parent tree's side branches is necessary to ensure the grafted shoot receives sufficient nutrients for healthy growth. After a period of application, the grafted longan branches at the farm have grown and developed well, with very few pests and diseases, and the trees have produced fruit with good yield and quality.

It is known that the grafting method began to be piloted in the province in 2012 in Bim Son town and Trieu Son district. Due to its outstanding effectiveness in improving productivity and economic efficiency for degraded crop areas, this technique was quickly replicated by the Horticultural and Farming Associations of many districts such as Thieu Hoa, Tho Xuan, Nga Son, Nhu Thanh, Nhu Xuan... with nearly 5,000 fruit trees grafted, mainly focusing on longan and pomelo trees.

Surveys of grafted orchards show that, due to being grafted with varieties suitable for the climate conditions, possessing high yield, quality, and pest and disease resistance, most grafted branches achieve a high survival rate, grow and develop well; yield and production are 40 to 50% higher than the old plants. The quality is good enough to compete with new, high-quality varieties currently on the market. In addition, the nursery business producing grafted trees also brings high income to people; most orchards that follow the correct technical procedures such as grafting, pruning, and treatment to induce flowering and fruiting... after one year, produce high-quality fruit with higher yields than the old plants.

Text and photos: Le Ngoc

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