Effectiveness of HN1 cassava variety resistant to virus mosaic disease

As spring has filled the air across the province, farmers in the province are also excited about the successful cassava crop, good prices, and increased profits. Farmer Phan Van Huy, village 1, Tan Ha commune, Duc Linh, could not hide his joy and expectation when more than 1 hectare of the new cassava variety HN1, implemented according to the model in 2024, achieved outstanding results, and is expected to be harvested right after the Lunar New Year 2025.

Increasing profits with disease-resistant cassava varieties

We were present in Tan Ha commune, Duc Linh district at a time when the locality was producing a number of advantageous crop varieties such as cassava, taro, etc. In particular, with suitable soil conditions, many cassava areas in this area, although not yet ready for harvest, were already taller than a person and lush. Particularly with the cassava area of more than 1 hectare of Mr. Phan Van Huy, the outstanding difference could be easily seen compared to neighboring cassava patches, because there were no signs of mosaic disease, the plants grew healthily.

*Mr. Huy and the HN1 cassava area are growing well.*

Mr. Huy shared: In the winter-spring crop last year, his family used HN1 cassava variety with more than 1 hectare, newly harvested with a yield of over 53 tons/ha and was supported by the provincial Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection to plant an additional 1 hectare in the 2024 cassava crop, expected to be harvested right after the Lunar New Year 2025. According to Mr. Huy, the actual production of HN1 cassava variety shows that cassava plants grow very well, achieve productivity, are 100% resistant to cassava mosaic disease and reach the required starch content (over 29 starch content). After deducting costs, people earn a profit of over 50 million VND/ha. In addition, Mr. Huy's family also earns additional income from selling cassava varieties at a price of about 80,000 VND/bundle.

Mr. Le Huu Nhiem - the officer in charge of the model of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection said that Mr. Huy's household is one of two locations implementing the model of the department in 2024. The purpose is to have a basis to recommend farmers in Binh Thuan to develop cassava varieties resistant to mosaic disease and manage cassava mosaic disease well in the locality. For each 1-hectare model, households are supported with production costs, materials and technical guidance during the implementation process. In particular, the demonstration model of cassava variety HN1 is implemented on 1 hectare at farmer Phan Van Huy's household, Tan Ha commune, Duc Linh, with a planting density of 12,400 plants/ha. The implementation period is from April to the end of 2024 and preparation for harvest is expected to be highly effective.

*The area of cassava outside the model is infected with mosaic disease.*

Need to replicate the model

According to the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, model monitoring shows that the HN1 cassava variety has a high fresh tuber yield of about 40 tons/ha (stable selling price of about 2,500 VND/kg), with an average tuber weight of 4.9 kg per bush; stem and leaf yield of 19.5 tons/ha. In particular, this variety has a starch content of 27.8%, suitable for many uses, especially in the starch processing industry. In addition, the HN1 cassava variety shows good disease resistance with low infection levels for brown spot disease (5%) and leaf blight disease (3%). Resistance to dragon bud disease is stable. In addition, this cassava variety shows no signs of infection with tuber rot or leaf mosaic caused by viruses. This will make the HN1 variety an attractive choice with stable production capacity and less affected by pests and diseases. From there, it not only brings high profitability but also has positive economic potential for farmers.

Cassava is known to be one of the main export products in recent years. With a high competitive advantage compared to other crops, the cassava growing area is increasingly expanding. Currently, the cassava growing area of Binh Thuan is over 26,000 hectares. Of which, the average fresh root yield is about 19.45 tons/ha, the estimated output is over 10 million tons/year. The export output of cassava and cassava products alone reached 3.9 million tons, with a total turnover value of 1.08 billion USD and is expected to reach 2 billion USD in the coming years. Cassava is a crop with many advantages, but is facing many difficulties and challenges. That is, besides the degradation of cultivated land, the problem of pests and diseases such as broom, red spider, pink mealybug, root rot, and mosaic virus disease is quite serious. Diseases not only affect the yield and quality of cassava in one crop but also spread from one crop to the next, spreading to other production areas through seed sources and disease vectors.

Based on the results achieved, the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection proposed to expand the production area of HN1 cassava variety to increase farmers' income. Although HN1 cassava variety has good resistance to diseases, maintaining disease management measures is important to protect and improve efficiency. The Department also requested localities in the province to continue to develop plans and provide support for organizations and individuals to continue implementing the model of "cultivating HN1 cassava variety resistant to virus mosaic disease" in the coming production seasons.

According to the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, the HN1 variety has a high multiplication coefficient because the tree is taller and has a straighter trunk than traditional varieties. Each tree trunk can produce 17 cassava cuttings while traditional varieties can only produce 10-12 cuttings.

Source: https://baobinhthuan.com.vn/hieu-qua-tu-giong-mi-hn1-khang-benh-kham-la-virus-127288.html