National Durian Vol. 10

“Past experiences have taught me that by keeping the leaves of the mother tree, it will serve as transmission channel for water and nutrients from the ground to the grafted Black Thorn tree.— Explained Heng Bee Teik—” When we search for the words ‘Black Thorn’ on the Internet, phrases such as ‘King of Kings’, ‘Investors’ Favourite’, ‘Competing with Musang King’, are some of the results that we might come by. Many durian enthusiasts compare the Black Thorn durian variety to Musang King durian variety and has hailed praises for it. The Black Thorn was first famous and popular in the state of Penang (Northern Malaysia). It is officially registered by Leow Cheok Kiang. He also registered this Black Thorn variety for a competition and came out as a winner. After…

“Durian trees require wide space for its lateral branches to develop. If there is no ample space, the leaves between each tree will come in contact and may pose a risk for the spread of diseases.— Explained Chai Yeen Chen—” In recent times, there have been talks among durian farmers about the benefits of dense planting, the closer the trees are planted, the higher the yield. Intensive cultivation is a type of agriculture with higher levels of input and output per cubic unit of agricultural land area. This cultivation method is commonly carried out by Thai farmers to achieve continuous output. But can it be applicable to local farmers? Generally, farmers used to plant 30 trees in one acre of land. Nowadays, there are more than 50 trees per acre.…

“Generally, the soil of rocky orchards is rich in minerals, which in turn would have a positive effect on the quality of durians. Otherwise, the durian come from rocky orchards will not be famous for their good quality.— Explained Toh Seng Choon—” In addition to pests and diseases, durian farmers face another recurring problem that is even unknown to most of them; the application of excessive fertilizer. The symptoms of excessive fertilizer are usually mistaken for pests and diseases. As a result, they tend to tackle the issue by applying insecticides and fungicides to the trees which in turn lead to worse damage that are beyond help. Excessive fertilizer application is a common issue that many durian farmers face. It is actually very simple to prevent this from happening. Farmers…

Water can carry a boat but can topple it as well. The rainy season came early this year, and when will it stop? Rainfall has been particularly abundant in 2020. In an interview with Mr Choon Chun Hong, the Agricultural Technical Manager of All Cosmos Industries Sdn Bhd, he found from the past rainfall records that it has been raining for almost six months, except from July 25th to August 15th. Basically, it rains 2 to 3 times every week, heavy downpours are happening more often in recent days. What exactly causes this phenomenon? How does it affect the durian planting industry, and what precautions can we take? A weather forecast report published by World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on 27th August 2020 indicates that there is a 60% chance of…

Fairy Seed is one of the long-lasting durian varieties in Malaysia. It used to be planted all over the country, especially the “Tiger Hill” in Telemong, Bentong, Pahang. In the 60’s, Fairy Seed was exported to Singapore also. At that time, the Fairy Seed’s reputation was as famous as Musang King today. Due to its high reputation, this species has been transplanted to all parts of Malaysia for cultivation. According to sources, Fairy Seed was developed by Mr Liu who began to plant Fairy Seed in the 1950s, and it took 10 years to achieve a large number of very good quality Fairy Seed. At present, the garden is still properly maintained and managed by Mr Liu’s grandson and great-grandson. However, the Fairy Seed tree became lesser year after. Fortunately,…

Lima Jari is a very famous durian variety in Penang, North Perak especially at Ipoh, in the 1980s. It has a thick flesh, a thick and smooth texture, and has a bittersweet taste. What’s more, after proper fertilizing, its seeds can appear small, with a probability of more than 70%. Basically, Lima Jari is a large durian, just like the Golden Pillow. The profit is considerable under the condition of sufficient weight, but some farmers say that it has the problem of immature, so careful attention must be paid to the management of the durian. Lima Jari has the advantage of stacking and setting fruit. The number is very large, but there is a concern that there are too many fruits at the same time, which will break the branches,…