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| “High-tech” Thanh tra trees are growing well in many garden houses |
Saving garden houses
In the garden of more than 2,000m2 located by the Bo river, Mr. and Mrs. Hoang Tang Phai, after many years of cultivating, are now growing nearly one hundred of Thanh tra trees of various ages. To Phai's family and many other households in Huong Van (Huong Tra Town) Thanh tra is the crucial fruit crop which brings back lots of benefits.
A few years ago, after a big flood, leaves of many Thanh tra trees in his garden and neighboring ones turned yellow; their roots got rotted and they gradually died. Many Thanh tra gardens in Thuy Bieu (Hue), Phong Thu (Phong Dien), Duong Hoa (Huong Thuy), etc., failed.
Mr. Ton That Kim Son, Vice Director of Thuy Bieu Agricultural Cooperative still remembers the feeling of happiness when bringing good news to people. On that day, after lots of effort, Son managed to get connected with agricultural expert Thu Hang and asked her to find ways to help local people. Luckily after one year of researching and hard working with people, Dr. Thu Hang succeeded in producing the “high-tech” Thanh tra species.
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| “High tech” Thanh tra trees ready for growing |
After just a short time, many outstanding characteristics of the “high-tech” Thanh tra surprised the gardeners. “Their biggest desire is to find the best species of Thanh tra as soon as possible so that they can restore their gardens. They need a productive species that can help them save growing costs and energy. Dr. Thu Hang’s “high-tech” Thanh tra trees meet their criteria,” explained Son.
As one of the many garden owners who is lucky enough to know the “high-tech” Thanh tra as soon as it appeared, Mr. Hoang Tang Phai ordered dozens of them for his garden. "As advertised, growing this Thanh tra trees does not require hard work because they grow better compared with our previous cuts. They catch up well with the others in my garden though we have grown them for just two years,” boasted Phai.
Up to now, more than 7,000 “high-tech” Thanh tra trees have been grown in gardens in Thuy Bieu, Thuy Bang, Long Ho, Huong Van (Huong Tra), Phong Thu, Phong Son (Phong Dien) and many new gardens by the river and on alluvial grounds. According to Dr. Thu Hang, the demand for this tree keeps increasing when the province chooses Thanh tra as the principle fruit crop, aiming at over 1,400 hectares, not including ones grown in people’s gardens.
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| The study of “high-tech” Thanh tra trees by Dr. La Thi Thu Hang and her assistants won the second prize at the Provincial Technical Innovation Contest in 2024 |
As informed by Dr. Thu Hang out of our curiosity about why many people order the species, the first and foremost strong point of her “high-tech” Thanh tra is the fact that they can live easily and are very easy to tend. This species also helps garden owners save on costs, and gives fruit sooner than ones from traditional breeding.
“Previously, I mainly grew Thanh tra from conventional cuts and the trees grew very slowly and were vulnerable to insects and diseases. In terms of productivity and economic efficiency, this species is definitely the optimal choice. At present people no longer worry about weak trees and low productivity,” said Mr. Linh, one of the experienced thanh tra growers in Phong Thu (Phong Dien).
Doubling benefits
As for economic efficiency, Dr. Thu Hang affirms this is an agricultural production model which can bring back high income with a net profit of nearly VND76 million/1,000m2, much higher than the traditional model and other crops. When they sell well, people can develop extra services such as farm building consulting, growing technique consulting, designing and installing effective watering systems, etc.
As the predecessor, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Phan Thi Phuong Nhi, Vice Dean of the Department of Farming, University of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University, did not hesitate to give the maximum marks to Dr. Thu Hang’s project.
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Phuong Nhi, the research meets the practical need for Thanh tra growers in the city. Thanks to good species, growers not only earn money but also can preserve and revitalize the Thanh tra tree. This success also inspires farmers to gradually approach the tendency of high-tech agriculture.
The fact that the specialty Thanh tra was certified in early 2024 and the “high-tech” Thanh tra species is protected by the Intellectual Property Office of Viet Nam multiplies the advantages and ranks this fruit tree in the top list of the crucial crops of the city. Dr. Thu Hang’s study won the second prize at the Provincial Technical Innovation Contest in 2024. Thanh tra not only brings profits for farmers and the society but also opens up new research directions and new solutions for sustainable agricultural production.