What to Do About Low Chestnut Yields? Latest Cause Analysis and Solutions
Chestnuts have very high nutritional value and are grown to some extent in various parts of our country. However, when growing chestnuts, low yield has always been an urgent problem for growers to solve, and it has had a very large impact on growers' economic returns. So what exactly causes low chestnut yields? How can chestnut yields be increased? Below, the editor will give everyone a brief introduction. Let's take a look together!
1. Causes of low yield
Growth imbalance
Chestnuts have relatively strong growth capacity in spring, especially vigorous growth of branches and leaves. In spring, the growth of chestnut branches and leaves and the growth of flowers and fruits generally occur at the same time. If fertilization work is not done well at this time to provide sufficient nutrients for the chestnut trees, then the growth of chestnut flowers and fruits will suffer from nutritional deficiency. Vegetative growth speeds up, and reproductive growth is naturally inhibited, which naturally leads to low chestnut yields and affects the economic benefits of cultivation.
Poor pollination
Chestnut is a cross-pollinated plant, and pollination can be carried out on the same tree. The growth and differentiation times of male and female flowers differ. Male flower bud differentiation is generally completed around the first half of the year, while female flowers are concentrated around April each year. Moreover, under normal circumstances, the number of male flowers far exceeds that of female flowers, making female flowers prone to poor pollination, which is also a direct cause of low chestnut yields.
Other causes
Poor soil water- and fertilizer-holding capacity is also a major factor in low chestnut yields. When the soil is too loose, long rainy seasons can easily lead to soil erosion. Also, if seedling trees are directly used for field planting, then at the very least they will grow, delaying the fruiting period, and the quality of the nuts will also decline. Then there is tree age. If the trees are too old, tree vigor declines, and a drop in fruit set rate is only inevitable. Finally, there is management. If management is not emphasized, yields naturally will not be very high.
2. How to improve
Strengthen management
First, we must do a good job in management work and supplement sufficient nutrients for chestnut trees, mainly nitrogen fertilizer, to ensure balanced growth of the chestnut trees. Control moisture well and keep the soil moist, but moisture should not be excessive. When there is too much moisture, pay attention to timely drainage. If the number of male flowers far exceeds that of female flowers, then before the chestnut trees bear fruit, we should appropriately reduce the number of male flowers to avoid excessive nutrient consumption and promote the growth of female flowers.
Pollination and pruning
When chestnut trees are pollinated with the same variety, their fruit set rate is very low, only about 1/5. If cross-pollination is used, then the pollination fruit set rate can reach nearly 9/10. Therefore, when growing chestnuts, we must plant an appropriate number of pollinator trees in the orchard, and the ratio of planting varieties to pollinator varieties can be controlled at 1:3. Then pruning work should be done well, mainly winter pruning and summer pruning, to ensure balanced growth of chestnut trees. Ensure tree vigor, improve the airiness and light penetration of the tree body, promote chestnut flowering and fruiting, and increase yield.
The above is a brief introduction to the causes of low chestnut yields and the solutions. We must do a good job in management work and enhance the growth capacity of chestnut trees so that normal chestnut fruiting can be ensured. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only, and I hope it can help everyone!