Instructions for caring for orange orchards during harvest

Orange harvesting period requires maintaining fruit quality, limiting shedding, cracking, pests and drug residues. Instructions on water management, nutrition, ripeness classification, gentle harvesting and tree recovery after fruit cutting.

Summary: The harvest stage is when orcharders easily lose money because of fruit loss, fruit cracking, borers, post-autumn rot and harvesting at the wrong ripeness level. Care at this time is not to make the fruit grow faster, but to preserve the quality, design and strength of the tree for the next crop. This article provides instructions on managing water, treatment, harvesting, classifying and restoring orange orchards after harvest.

Applies to: Saffron oranges, V2 oranges, Cao Phong oranges, diamond oranges and commercial orange orchards.
Duration: 30-45 days before harvest, during picking and 30 days after harvest.
Difficulty level: Basic. Need to be disciplined about quarantine time and harvesting operations.
Estimated additional costs: 5-15 million VND per hectare for harvesting, sorting, preservation materials and post-harvest recovery.

Harvest stage goals

This phase has four goals:

Keep the fruit from falling, cracking, and rotting.
Collect at the right ripeness level to achieve good taste and color.
Limit crop-protection product residues.
Do not dry out the tree after cutting the fruit.

A common mistake is to only focus on selling the fruit right now and forget to restore the tree after autumn. Orange trees that bear a lot of fruit need to be restored to strength immediately after the season.

Pre-harvest water management

2-4 weeks before harvest:

Keep the soil moderately moist, don't let it dry out or crack.
Do not over-water after a long dry period.
If it rains a lot, open a drainage ditch immediately.
Limit spraying on the canopy to reduce fruit diseases.

Uneven water is a cause of fruit cracking. If the fruit is almost ripe, sudden strong watering after drought can increase the rate of cracking.

End-of-season nutrition

Do not fertilize heavily with nitrogen at the end of the season:

High protein causes plants to produce young buds, competing with fruit for nutrients.
Young Loc also attracts caterpillars, and hoppers sprout wings.
Priority is to keep the balance of potassium, calcium, and boron if the orchard shows signs of cracked fruit or weak skin.

If the tree is close to autumn, do not fertilize strongly close to the day of picking. Main recovery nutrition should be done after collection.

Pest and residue management

Before harvest:

Check for yellow flies, fruit borers, mealybugs, and fruit rot.
Priority is given to mechanical measures: collecting diseased fruit, trapping, bagging fruit if done in advance.
Do not spray crop-protection products arbitrarily near the picking date.
Comply with the quarantine period according to the product label.

For orchards sold into channels that require high quality, the last spraying date and type of product used should be clearly stated. This is very important information when traders or purchasing units ask for access.

Determine ripeness

Depending on variety and market, ripeness may vary. Some common signs:

The bark changes color, typical of the variety.
The fruit is tense, the stem is no longer green.
Succulent shrimp, satisfactory sweetness.
Percentage of fruits achieving uniform color in the batch.

Do not pick too young to increase the price. Young fruits are easily sour, take off water poorly and affect the reputation of the shipment.

Harvesting techniques

Pick when it's dry, avoid after rain or when the dew is still wet.
Use scissors to cut the stem, do not pull it with your hands.
Do not tear the shell or break the stem close to the fruit.
Put the fruit lightly in the basket, don't throw it.
Do not pile too high as it will crush the lower fruit.

Slightly bruised oranges may not be visible right away in the orchard but will rot quickly during transport.

Classification after picking

Classify right at the orchard or gathering point:

Type 1: fruit of even color, right size, no scars, no pests.
Type 2: smaller fruit, slightly ugly skin but edible.
Remove: cracked, rotten fruit, borers, severely damaged fruit.

Do not mix diseased fruit into good batches. A few rotten fruits can make the whole box fall in price.

Post-harvest care

After recording is complete:

Cut off dry branches, diseased branches, and branches that bear fruit.
Clean up fallen and rotten fruit still in the orchard.
Use decomposed organic fertilizer and recovery fertilizer according to plant strength.
Irrigate sufficiently if entering the dry season.
Whiten the roots and clean the orchard.

Do not let the tree that has just lost its fruit fall into drought or malnutrition. That is the reason why the next crop has weak flowering.

Common mistakes

Spraying close to the day of picking: increases the risk of residue, making it difficult to sell well.

Harvest while the fruit is still wet: post-harvest rot increases.

Plucking fruit by hand: torn skin, broken stem, reduced preservation.

Mixing diseased fruit with beautiful fruit: losing the whole lot's value.

No recovery after fall: plant declines, poor flowering in the next crop.

Monitor and record

[ ] Last spraying date and quarantine period.
[ ] Date of collection of each lot.
[ ] Ratio of type 1, type 2, discarded fruit.
[ ] Rate of cracks, rot, borers.
[ ] Selling price per lot.
[ ] Fertilization schedule for recovery after fall.

Recording by batch helps you know which batch is well cared for, which batch needs water control, pest control or harvesting for the next crop.