Thanh Son longan - strange variety, delicious fruit

A new longan variety developed by gardener Nguyen Thanh Son (56 years old, residing in Cho Lach commune, Vinh Long province) is attracting the attention of consumers thanks to its unique characteristics that can both produce high-quality fruit and be suitable for growing in pots as an ornamental plant, opening up dual economic potential for farmers.

His Thanh Son longan garden is currently bearing fruit.

The new longan variety named Thanh Son is the result of more than 8 years of selection and experimental planting from a mutant longan tree in his garden. According to Mr. Son, Thanh Son longan has completely empty seeds without embryos, thick, dry, golden flesh, and delicious taste. Notably, this variety produces 2 natural fruit crops per year, is not infected with witch's broom disease, has few pests, and is very favorable for long-term and sustainable cultivation.

“Normal longan has very large seeds, thin flesh and lots of water, with very little pepper. Almost all of the longan varieties I selected have small seeds, thick flesh, and delicious flavor. Currently, there is no longan variety on the market that has completely small seeds without embryos. Thanks to that, longan is easy to preserve, convenient for preliminary processing, drying, canning and exporting,” Mr. Son shared.

In addition to its outstanding fruit quality, Thanh Son longan variety is also highly adaptable, easy to grow in many different areas such as Tay Ninh , Nha Trang... and even produces large fruits with higher yields. With a low trunk and compact canopy, this longan variety is suitable for growing in pots as an ornamental plant, or in greenhouses, and can produce fruit early after just over 18 months. Growers can also handle off-season flowering or high-density cultivation, which is rare in traditional longan varieties.

According to Mr. Son, after 18 months, the tree can yield about 30 kg, and about 50 kg when it reaches 5 years old. Currently, more than 100 seedlings planted on a trial basis for nearly 2 years have begun to produce stable fruit, with a yield equivalent to longan, reaching 20-25 tons/ha. Not only is it a promising new crop, Thanh Son longan is also expected to contribute to the development of garden ecotourism. With the ability to grow in pots, combined with greenhouses and ornamental gardens, visitors can visit, experience picking and enjoying fruit on the spot, opening up an economic model combining agriculture and tourism that is increasingly popular.

Currently, Thanh Son longan variety has been certified as a parent tree, and Mr. Son is propagating it on a large scale to meet market demand. Not only successful with longan variety, Mr. Son is also the author of many other outstanding fruit tree varieties that have been recognized as parent trees, including: Tu Quy mango, Thanh Son mango, Thanh Son turmeric jackfruit, Thanh Son avocado. In particular, Thanh Son avocado is highly appreciated by farmers thanks to its ability to adapt to sweet alluvial soil, acid sulfate soil, producing delicious fruit and stable yield. Thanh Son jackfruit variety also impresses with large fruit (15-20kg, some fruits over 30kg), thick flesh, eye-catching orange-yellow color, rich sweetness.

With the mindset of selecting and creating breeds closely linked to production practices, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Son is contributing to changing the face of agriculture in the Mekong Delta in an effective and sustainable direction.

Article and photos: DUY TAN

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/nhan-thanh-son-giong-la-trai-ngon-a190075.html