Master Nguyen Quang Ngoc, Director of the Center for Pepper Research and Development (Central Highlands Institute of Agricultural and Forestry Science and Technology), said that in the past there were periods when pepper prices increased and the development was massive. of farmers in terms of area, leading to disruption of all planning. People have used agricultural chemicals such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides, causing soil degradation in pepper gardens and disturbance of nutrients in the soil. When first using chemical fertilizers, pepper plants grew very quickly, but then the land was left fallow.
Some areas of land are advised by experts not to grow pepper, but people still sow seeds regardless. The rapid development of pepper also seriously affects the quality of crop varieties. Because seed production is not enough to meet market demand, it leads to poor quality seeds when people are willing to use any variety for planting without foreseeing the future consequences.
Also according to the Director of the Center for Research and Development of Pepper Plants, the use of poles that do not ensure quality such as wooden poles and concrete poles is also the cause of mass deaths of pepper in the years 2018-2019.
Gia Lai province is very cautious about the valuable lesson when people spontaneously plant large areas until the epidemic strikes and cannot react in time. The province’s agricultural sector has issued recommendations suggesting that people should not massively plant crops but should develop in a more sustainable direction. Along with that, functional agencies have also developed standard documents on pepper planting and care processes as well as effective disease management. Especially the set of documents guiding sustainable pepper production from the National Agricultural Extension Center, the production experience of businesses participating in pepper production in Vietnam and some research results from the Academy of Sciences. Central Highlands agriculture, Plant Protection Department.
Accordingly, in terms of land selection, pepper growing land must have a thick arable layer, rich in organic matter, and a gentle slope to ensure quick drainage, but not dry during the dry season. This is the leading reason why many pepper growing areas have been seriously damaged by diseases in recent times. In reality, not every place has ideal conditions for growing pepper. For areas with heavy rain and flat ground, drainage systems must be designed during the rainy season to avoid flooding.
Regarding choosing pest-resistant varieties, it is necessary to choose pepper varieties that have good resistance to pests. There are currently many varieties of pepper being grown in Vietnam. However, in one region it can grow well and have good disease resistance, but in other regions it can have poor disease resistance. Therefore, each locality can choose the most suitable varieties for planting through selection and evaluation of pepper gardens that have high productivity and quality and have a growing period of over 10 years.
Growing pepper on living pillars is one of the farming methods aimed at sustainable pepper production. Living pillars create gentle light suitable for the ecological requirements of pepper plants. Pepper gardens are most effective when intercropped with pepper, durian, avocado… to create a windbreak. It also has the effect of blocking direct radiation, creating a harmonious ecological environment and generating additional income.
During the care process, people should use biological measures. Specifically, limiting the spraying of plant protection chemicals will create conditions for many natural enemies of pests such as dragonflies, praying mantises, weaver ants, ladybugs, predatory spiders or antagonistic fungi in the soil to thrive, helping Destroy pest sources as soon as they have not caused serious harm.
Regarding pest prevention, growers can use prevention methods using biological products containing antagonistic fungi trichoderma, Streptomyce actinomycetes…; Prevent nematodes with herbal products containing active ingredients Saponin, Alkanoid…; Prevent mealybugs with insect-parasitic fungal products Metarhizium, Bacillus bacteria… The above biological products should be combined with fertilizing plants, sprinkle the product in the pepper root area and then cover with soil. Adequate watering will help limit the source of pests in the soil, help the roots stay healthy, and plants grow sustainably. Minimize the use of chemical pesticides.
Particularly for the use of chemicals, this is the final step when the above measures have been applied but pests still arise and cause harm and crop productivity must be protected. Chemical drugs must prioritize the use of drugs that are less toxic to the environment, drugs that rarely exist in agricultural products and decompose quickly.
Currently, in Gia Lai province, there are no longer many pure pepper gardens, instead they are intercropped with coffee and fruit trees. Typically in the districts of Chu Se, Chu Puh, Dak Doa, Chu Prong… Intercropped pepper gardens develop very well, completely different from previous pure pepper gardens.
Mr. Nguyen Tan Luc’s family in village 4, Ia H’lop commune, Chu Se district has been intercropping 1,200 pepper trees with durian, coffee, and passion fruit for nearly 20 years. The entire pepper garden grows green and the fruit quality is stable every year. Especially during the period when pepper in Gia Lai province was infected with diseases that died quickly or slowly, his family’s pepper garden was not affected at all.
According to Mr. Luc, for pepper trees to grow sustainably depends on many factors such as intercropping, choosing living trees for support pillars, not using chemical fertilizers and pesticides, but mostly using compost. Self-composting organic ingredients extracted from soybeans, oil cakes, phosphate fertilizers, and manure.
Ms. Vo Thi Tuyet in Hat 2 village, Ia Piar commune, Chu Prong district also said that thanks to intercropping pepper with plants such as durian, coffee and applying organic fertilizer, her family’s pepper garden It gives very clear results, few diseases, and stable productivity.
According to Mr. Nguyen Tan Cong, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Nam Yang Cooperative, Dak Doa district, through many lessons learned, instead of choosing pure cultivation, people choose to grow pepper intercropping, multi-cropping with coffee. and fruit trees. Developing pepper in the direction of intercropping and multi-cropping will be sustainable, thereby reducing investment costs and limiting disease risks, leading to safe agriculture. At that time, people will not overuse pesticides and chemical fertilizers on crops, but instead use biological products and organic fertilizers to bring longevity to the garden.
