To address the issue of pollen gap in the orchard and to increase hazelnut production, Mountain Hazelnuts has come up with three measures such as supplying polliniser saplings, mass grafting and manual pollination programs. The Mountain Hazelnuts is currently carrying out the manual pollination program in the country. Meantime, the company conducted the mass grafting program and supplying polliniser saplings.
A group of field staff from Mountain Hazelnuts are seen spraying a mixture of the solution containing pollen, sugar and agar on trees. The company expects to pollinate around 3000 acres. However, about 2500 acres of Hazelnuts have been pollinated.
Mountain Hazelnuts imported 60 kilograms of compatible pollen from Georgia. The company also collected 5 kilograms of pollen from the locality for the manual pollination program this year.
Officials said the local pollen collected from the orchard also undergo a pollen viability test to ensure that it will work when it is applied to the female flowers.
“Manual pollination is kind of a short term intervention and it is very expensive and laborious. When the grafting is taking time to actually produce the catkins, manual pollination is supposed to address the pollen gap,” said Tshering Dorji, Director of Field Operations and Research and Development of Mountain Hazelnuts.
He added that the mass grafting program that was carried out in 2019 and 2020 is a long-term intervention.
“The grafting would usually take two to four years to produce catkins. The grafting that we have already done in 2019 has started producing catkins. We are hoping that it will produce enough catkins in the next few years so that we would have successful pollination in our fields,” said Tshering Dorji.
The mass grafting program has already benefitted farmers in terms of production. And the farmers are hoping for a bountiful harvest this year.
“It has been three years since the grafting was started. After the grafting, the production has also increased. Last year, I sold 250 kilograms of nuts. Earlier I just sold some 20 kilograms of nuts. And with the initiative of manual pollination, I am hopeful for a better harvest,” said Yangay, a farmer.
“When the trees turned five years old, I harvested 21 kilograms of nuts. And after that, the hazelnut company has initiated a grafting program as there are fewer male plants in the orchard. I sold 157 kilograms of nuts last year when my trees turned six years old. This year, the company carried out a manual pollination program twice in my garden and I am expecting a massive harvest,” said another farmer, Choney Wangmo.
Mountain Hazelnuts invested over Nu 14 M for the program this year.
Sonam Tshering, Monggar
