The lotus fog spicy hand urges the flower 02 "the pesticide illegal use 40 years, the government knows inaction!" Agricultural reform farm solution: thinning trees, promoting flowers without spraying

0 sharing

The lotus and fog industry has been using organophosphorus pesticides to promote blossom for more than 40 years. Taosong and prednisone, which have neurotoxicity, are sprayed at ultra-high concentrations, and the impact on the environment and ecology is difficult to measure, and even has a direct impact on farmers' own health. but the government has always turned a blind eye.

If pesticide flower promotion is really necessary, why not just apply for legal use on lotus mist? Huang Ji-Cheng, an associate researcher at the Fengshan Branch of the Agricultural examination Institute, replied, "Pesticide traders have to go to the drug institute to apply before they do the experiment. they have to finish three sessions before they can register." On the other hand, the three trials may cost 600000 to 1 million, and no pesticide dealer is willing to do it, and "if you don't register, someone will buy it, so why apply for it?"

Drug Institute: high concentration spraying is unreasonable, from no formal evaluation

Jiang Yongzheng, head of the pesticide application group of the Agricultural Drug Toxicology Laboratory, said, "this issue has been discussed for a long time, and related issues have been discussed before," but then came to nothing. She confirmed that whether prednisone or Taosong was used to promote flowers, it was not within the approved scope of use.

"it is unreasonable to spray at such a high concentration, regardless of whether it is being used or not," Jiang Yongzheng said. normal pesticide use undergoes layers of safety assessments, including the safety of sprayers, product residues, and the impact on non-target organisms in the environment, as well as efficacy and damage to plants, and so on. Lotus Flower, on the other hand, has never been formally evaluated by using pesticides to promote flowering.

Jiang Yongzheng also pointed out that Taosong's risk has recently attracted international attention, and China has also tightened restrictions on its use. even if someone applies to use it in lotus blossom, it is unlikely to expand or extend its use.

Prevention and Inspection Bureau: the use of insecticides to promote flower is illegal. Taosong will soon be banned on all fruits and vegetables, and will look for alternative ways.

Feng Haidong, director of the Prevention and Inspection Bureau, said that he had heard of the use of organophosphorus agents in lotus flowers. "our position is basically that this is illegal use." he believes that spraying at such a high concentration will have less impact on fruit production and will have a greater impact on the environment.

Feng Haidong also pointed out that at present, many of the use of Taosong in fruits and vegetables has been deleted, and it is planned to remove them all in the future, and at that time, the use of beetles in lotus powder will also be deleted, so Lianwu is not allowed to use Taosong at all, and exterminating pine is not good at all. "you may have to ask horticulturists at the experimental site to find some alternatives, and there are other technologies that can be used, and you don't have to rely on it all the time."

Promoting flowers is the crystallization of farmers' wisdom, but the means should keep pace with the times.

Tseng Teh-chih, an honorary special professor in the Department of Plant Diseases at Chung Hsing University, said bluntly that using organophosphorus agents to promote flowers "has no scientific basis at all, and it does not conform to the norms for the use of pesticides." if you think that Taosong can be used to kill insects in lotus flowers, you think it doesn't matter if you use it to promote flowers. that's a legal loophole. He also pointed out the crisis, "every year so urged, the tree will become weaker and weaker, and eventually die, because it is tantamount to poisoning, in order to survive, to reproduce, so blossom."

The practice of drinking poison to quench thirst in lotus industry is not limited to the promotion of flowers by pesticides. In the past, there were cases in which farmers specially irrigated the sea water in order to imitate the salt land by the sea to plant black pearls, resulting in the salinization of the land and the death of fruit trees.

The technology of promoting flowers is indeed the crystallization of the wisdom of farmers, so that lotus flowers can be produced almost every year, and the production date can be adjusted by you. However, excessive means of promoting flowers have also damaged the fruit trees and shortened the production life. After reaching a peak of 10502 hectares in 1976, the production area of Lianwu has declined all the way, leaving only 3414 hectares in the last 107 years.

The reason is that the tedious flower-promoting technology must consume a lot of labor and high material cost, and when the quality does not reach a certain level, it may lose money. On the other hand, the lotus fog tree has been tossed around for years and against its nature, and the tree is also easy to weaken, and it is difficult to resist climate change. In addition, the season of promoting early flowers coincides with the torrential rain of typhoons, which often hit the harvest.

Mismanaged orchards can only be abandoned in the end (photo courtesy of Lai Rongmao) Kaohsiung Agricultural Reform Farm: thinning trees and blooming without spraying

So, is it possible to maintain the health of fruit trees, save costs, and have a good harvest? Even, don't spray insecticide to promote flowers? The answer is: yes. Lai Jung-Mao, an associate researcher at the Kaohsiung Agricultural Reform Farm, who is the most senior researcher in Lianwu, has made great efforts to promote the innovative "thinning" pruning method in recent years, and has cooperated with farmers to test it, and has achieved considerable results.

"A lot of people can't urge it to spend early this year, but I've pushed it very well!" Zhang Jingyu speaks with pride. She plucked away the leaves to reveal bunches of pink fruit in a bag. The lotus mist here does not spray insecticide Taosong or extinguish pine to promote flowers, but it still bears a lot of fruit, breaking the industry's 40-year habit of "spraying flowers is a must."

Zhang Jingyu, Fruit Fruit Farmer, herbaceous cultivation and ecological control, without spraying pesticides to promote flowers (Photo _ Cai Jiashan)

This is the "turf raising" farm in Hengliao, Pingtung. As its name implies, it is cultivated by grass, and it uses organically available materials to replace pesticides as far as possible, and it also uses natural enemies and beneficial insects for ecological control. Zero detection of pesticides is achieved year after year, and many cancer friends are main customers.

Zhang Jingyu said that there are flowers even if there is no spraying, and the secret is to do what the teacher says. The teacher is Lai Jung-Mao, an expert in lotus fog at the agricultural improvement farm in Kaohsiung District. In recent years, he has vigorously promoted the method of "thinning trees" to subvert the past tradition, no longer "shaving their heads" or cutting them forcefully, and retaining the natural shape of fruit trees, so that the trees will not only become healthier, but also have a good flowering rate, and they will come without spraying pesticides.

Keep some upward branches along the natural tree shape, and the tree shape is stable (photo courtesy of Lai Rongmao). Too many flowers will be sparse to cry, and "strong cutting" needs to be changed most.

Lianwu Agricultural University believes that it is necessary to spray insecticide to promote the flowers, so that the flowers will come neatly, an outbreak will not be intermittent, and it will be easier to take care of.

But Lai Rongmao points out the myth: "if more than 20,000 flowers come out of a tree, as long as you keep less than 200 strings, that is, only 1% of the flowers will be left, and 99% of the flowers should be removed!" Not only is it very labor-intensive, but the energy of the tree is also wasted. "now that you are out of work, you are so sparse that you cry."

In other words, the emergence of a full tree bud may seem glorious, but it is actually the beginning of a nightmare. Lai Jung-Mao believes that as long as the way of pruning is changed, enough flowers can still be produced, and there is no need for spraying, and farmers can definitely reduce costs. "if the spray concentration is too high, the first thing is that farmers will be dangerous, the cost is also high, and the damage to the trees is also serious."

Promoting flowers too much will cost more manual thinning (photo courtesy of _ Lai Rongmao)

In order to change the natural production of summer fruit to the production of winter fruit, lotus farmers have developed various flower-promoting techniques: shaving the head, soaking in water, cutting roots, carving rings, covering black nets, and spraying ⋯⋯are all to create adversity, making fruit trees feel a sense of crisis and want to carry on the family line, that is, blossom and bear fruit. However, if many methods are too fierce, it is easy to lose the vitality of fruit trees.

Among them, Lai Jung-Mao believes that the most urgent changes are "shaved heads" and "strong cuts." "in the past, when the cuts were very heavy and cut a lot, the fruit trees grew a lot of new branches and leaves, and it took a lot of restraint to turn into a flowering state." Lai Jung-Mao explains that he now advises farmers that as long as they are slightly pruned, 30% of the leaves are renewed each time, and the crown should be able to see through the light. "in this way, the tree is more stable, but it is easier to reach the state of flowering."

Lai Rongmao explains the way of pruning to maintain the stability of fruit trees (Photo _ Cai Jiashan) maintain the natural tree type, stabilize the tree potential to have good quality

Lai Jung-Mao shows a picture of the tree after it was shaved. "it's like the whole water pipe has been cut off," and then a jumble of new shoots emerged from the section. "as a result of shaving the head, the leaves are very small and photosynthesis is weak. Several small leaves are not as good as a big one." Such new leaves not only fail to produce sufficient nutrients, but also waste tree nutrients.

So Lai Rongmao proposed a revolutionary pruning method: "thinning the tree." That is to maintain the natural shape of the fruit tree, but cut out the space that can penetrate the light and the wind, making the whole tree clear and refreshing. The point is that a few branches must be left above to let it grow freely, instead of all being cut short, so that the "root pressure" can be released step by step.

[appearance characteristics of stable tree potential] the upper layer of the crown maintains the middle height, decreases in all directions, and the branch grows obliquely upward in the direction of radiation. The branches are sparsely spaced, the light can penetrate through, and the top of the branch maintains a natural ending.

Comply with the natural tree shape "thinning the tree", transparent and ventilated (photo courtesy of _ Lai Rongmao)

Lai Jung-Mao interacted frequently with farmers and further explained in peasant terms: "soft branches should be placed in the hard bones,"the hard bones should leave a tail," and "the knife edge should be far from the tail."

He stressed that pruning is a "basic skill" and must be changed from the basic skill. In the previous "heavy cutting" method, "the more you cut it, the longer it will grow, resulting in unstable trees, unstable quality, and unstable income." for example, the rate of fruit cracking remains high, and the lotus industry will go downhill. Therefore, Lai Jung-Mao stressed, "this must be dealt with first. It is the most important thing."

[wrong pruning method] A large number of new shoots emerge and the leaves are of poor quality.

Wrong pruning method, a large number of new shoots, poor leaf quality (photo courtesy of _ Lai Rongmao)