IPM for Exportable Fruit Crops in Vietnam

VIETNAM

The IPM for Exportable Fruit Crops in Vietnam project implements ecologically-based, participatory integrated pest management of insect pests, pathogens, and weeds. The project targets four major economically important crops in Vietnam: dragonfruit, mango, longan, and lychee. These four crops collectively represent a major portion of Vietnamese fruit exports to the United States.

Country Profile

This fact sheet presents an overview of the work we’re doing in Vietnam and country information.

Description

This project addresses the major production-limiting pests and diseases of dragonfruit, mango, longan, and lychee by developing ecologically-based IPM strategies and practices and disseminating them to local stakeholders.

Cultural practices such as planting density, poor canopy management, and forcing flower growth year-round, along with a dearth of IPM knowledge among farmers and exporters, adversely affects productivity and quality of fruit production in Vietnam.

Heavy pest infestations can render produced fruit unmarketable, even for domestic markets. Current measures to control these pests rely heavily on pesticides with high dose, intensive, and inappropriate applications, which increase production costs as well as pollute the environment, decrease food safety, and adversely affect human health. In addition, this practice can build up pest resistance and negatively affect the ecological system by reducing populations of antagonists to the pests.

This project will create and disseminate IPM packages for the four fruits with input from local stakeholders. In order to do this, it will strengthen farmer cooperatives, strengthen implementation of government policies, engage local stakeholders, and promote the packages through education and electronic media communication.

The Vietnamese team will be supported by an experienced team of external/international partners and other short-term consultants.

Achievements and Highlights

  • With collaboration from partners at the Southern Horticultural Research Institute, the IPM IL team has identified the causative agent of longan witches’ broom syndrome as the eriophyid mite Eriophyes dimocarpi. Identification of the causative agent allows for IPM IL to recommend proper management options including application of lime sulfur and pruning of infected shoots. 
  • With the implementation of fruit bagging on longan, mango, and dragon fruit, farmers in Vietnam have significantly decreased pesticide applications. 

Current Project Objectives

  • Detect key limiting pests and diseases and analyze matrix of pests and natural enemies.
  • Develop and formulate ecologically sound, farmer/community-centric IPM technologies and packages based on innovative research approaches and pragmatic designs.
  • Pilot and scale-up IPM technologies to a wider target participant base (e.g. growers/farmers, fruit exporters, government regulators) along production-market chain.
  • Foster participatory transferring technologies and communication activities, including exporting mobile-based approaches to create broader awareness, dissemination, and impact of IPM technologies.
  • Monitor and evaluate activities focused on project outputs and outcomes with emphasis on socio-economic and gender aspects.
  • Actively seek to engage women in the participatory learning process.
  • Substantial reduction in pesticide use with increase in number of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) farms.
  • Increase market access (especially U.S. markets) and develop better socio-economic welfare for small land-holders, with IPM-based capacity development focused on greater gender-based considerations.

Nguyen Van Hoa: Principal Investigator

Plant Pathologist, Southern Horticultural Research Institute (SOFRI)

Vietnam

Co-Principal Investigators/Collaborators

Le Quoc Dien

Entomologist, SOFRI

Vietnam

Nguyen Thanh Hieu

Plant Pathologist, SOFRI

Vietnam

Trinh Xuan Hoat

Deputy Director General, Plant Protection Research Institute (PPRI)

Vietnam

Dang Thuy Lin

Deputy Head of Science and International Cooperation Department, SOFRI

Vietnam

Ngo Thi Thanh Truc

Can Tho University

Vietnam

A. Sivapragasam (Siva)

Regional Director, CABI-SEA

Malaysia

Mai Van Tri

Tropical Fruit Pest Specialist, SOFRI

Vietnam

Le Cao Luong

Lecturer and Researcher, Plant Protection Department, NLU

Vietnam

Russell Mizell

Entomology Professor

University of Florida

Maria Elisa Christie

Director of Women and Gender in International Development

Virginia Tech University

Naidu Rayapati

Associate Professor of Virology, Department of Plant Pathology

Washington State University

Tran Thi My Hanh

Entomologist, SOFRI

Vietnam

Quyen Dinh Ha

Lecturer and Researcher, Vietnam National University of Agriculture

Vietnam

Le Dinh Don

Lecturer of Agronomy, Nong Lam University (NLU)

Vietnam

Phan Thi Thu Hien

Pathologist, PQIPS

Vietnam

Nguyen Duy Hung

Researcher, Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute

Vietnam

Le Xuan Vi

Entomologist, PPRI

Vietnam

Hunynh Thanh Loc

Researcher, SOFRI

Vietnam

Dang Thi Kim Uyen

Plant Pathologist, SOFRI

Vietnam

Nguyen Thi Kim Thoa

Entomologist, SOFRI

Vietnam

Luong Thi Duyen

Researcher, SOFRI 

Vietnam