Expectations for new high quality rice varieties

Prospects of new rice varieties

Ms. Dang Thi Dung (village 2, An Phu commune, Pleiku city) said: In the 2024-2025 Winter-Spring crop, she coordinated with the Provincial Plant Variety Research Center to cultivate 2.6 sao of Gia Lai Thom rice according to the standard technical process that had been tested from previous crops. “From the time of planting to harvest, I saw that the Gia Lai Thom rice variety grew and developed well, was resistant to pests and diseases, and was suitable for the weather in An Phu. The average rice yield reached 7.5-8 quintals/sao, 2-3 quintals/sao higher than the control varieties. “It has been a long time since An Phu fields have cultivated such a high-yielding rice variety. From the actual results of the family, many households have come to learn about the process and techniques of planting and buying Gia Lai Thom rice varieties to sow in the 2025 crop,” Ms. Dung said.

Ms. Dang Thi Dung (village 2, An Phu commune, Pleiku city) next to the Gia Lai fragrant rice field preparing to harvest. **Photo: ND**

In the past 3 years, the Provincial Plant Breeding Research Center has actively coordinated with scientists and businesses to bring in new rice varieties for testing, including Gia Lai Thom and Gia Lai Te Than rice varieties. Through 3 production seasons, these 2 rice varieties are suitable for the soil and climate conditions of the province, achieving higher yields than old, degraded rice varieties from 5 quintals to more than 1 ton/ha, with delicious rice grain quality.

Mr. Tang Van Quang - Deputy Director of the Provincial Plant Breeding Research Center - informed: In recent years, the Center has actively coordinated with Associate Professor - Doctor Nguyen Van Hoan - former Director of the Rice Research Institute (Vietnam Academy of Agriculture ) to research and breed high-yielding, high-quality, pest-resistant, and disease-resistant rice varieties that are adapted to the soil and climate of each region of the province to select purebred production lines and supply them to the people. Currently, the Center is continuing to test and expand 3 new rice varieties including Thom Gia Lai, Te Than Gia Lai and HG507 along with a number of other rice varieties. "To proactively source rice seeds for planting in the 2025 crop, the Center has prepared more than 170 tons of rice seeds of various types. Currently, many farmers in neighboring districts have come to the unit to buy seeds and learn about the production techniques. This is an optimistic signal for expanding new high-yielding, high-quality rice varieties in the coming crops" - Mr. Hoan affirmed.

Early establishment of rice variety copyright

According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the total annual rice area of the province is about 75,000 hectares. From various sources of capital, many localities have proactively supported farmers in building single-variety rice field models. In addition, some companies have also joined forces to build high-yield, high-quality rice models for people to learn and put into mass production, gradually replacing old low-yield rice varieties, and gradually building a local rice brand.

Rice seeds at the Plant Breeding Research Center. **Photo: ND**

However, there is still a situation where people use “meat” rice (food rice) for seeds, so the yield is not high. To overcome this situation, after successfully crossbreeding 2 new rice varieties, the Provincial Plant Breeding Research Center is coordinating with related units to guide the establishment of copyright for 2 rice varieties, Thom Gia Lai and Te Than Gia Lai, to be recognized soon.

“In the coming time, the Center will coordinate with relevant agencies to build a dossier to register the copyright of two rice varieties, Thom Gia Lai and Te Than Gia Lai; at the same time, build a cultivation process for these varieties to guide people in production and have close supervision. This is the premise for stable development of rice acreage and improving yield and quality of planting in the coming crops,” Mr. Quang affirmed.

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/ky-vong-giong-lua-moi-chat-luong-cao-post325015.html