Ms. Le Thi Tuyet (Nam Ha village, Ia Ake commune) shared: “Having worked with rice for more than 40 years, this is the first time I have been able to visit the process of selecting and breeding new rice varieties. Although they are not purebred varieties and still need to be tested many times, some rice varieties have shown high adaptability and productivity. Hopefully, the new rice varieties will help farmers increase their income.”
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Farmers' Association members visit and evaluate experimental rice varieties. Photo: VC |
Sharing about the model, Mr. Pham Ngoc Nghia - Director of Chu A Thai Agricultural Cooperative - said: In the 2023 crop season, Chu A Thai Agricultural Cooperative coordinated with the Mekong Delta Development Research Institute to conduct a trial planting of 10 sets of native rice varieties collected from many regions to evaluate the ability to be pure, the ability to resist pests and diseases and adapt to local climate and soil conditions. Moving to the 2023-2024 Winter-Spring crop, the model continues to be deployed on an area of 100 m2 with 10 sets of rice varieties sown and cared for synchronously for comparison. The rice is all transplanted manually to control the varieties as well as eliminate mixing to the maximum. Every 15 days, technical staff check and evaluate the growth, development and resistance to pests and diseases of each set of varieties.
After 2 implementation seasons, Chu A Thai Agricultural Cooperative organized a workshop for people to directly select the rice varieties they were satisfied with. As a result, 4 sets of varieties were selected to continue testing and expanding in the 2024 crop season. These are all rice varieties with a yield of about 1 ton/sao. According to the plan, from the 4 selected sets of varieties, the Cooperative will cooperate with households to test planting on an area of 1 hectare in the next season to continue evaluating and selecting the most optimal set of varieties to crossbreed with the superior rice varieties currently used locally. Households participating in the model are supported with labor costs for planting, technical guidance and purchase of all products.
According to Mr. Nghia, the process of selecting and crossbreeding rice varieties can take 4-5 crops to find a set of original varieties, so there needs to be close coordination between scientists - the State - farmers. Although Phu Thien is the rice granary of the Central Highlands, the supply of seeds to people in Phu Thien district depends on seed supply companies. Chu A Thai Agricultural Cooperative alone supplies nearly 30 tons of rice seeds to farmers each crop. Although the price of rice seeds is always high (about 30 thousand VND/kg), it is still often "out of stock". Therefore, research, selection and crossbreeding of rice varieties is very necessary. When the model is successful, the Cooperative will have full authority to produce rice seeds to supply to farmers in the district; at the same time, coordinate with the Mekong Delta Development Research Institute to supply seeds to the national market.
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With high quality, Phu Thien Rice is favored by consumers. Photo: Vu Chi |
“Rice production in Phu Thien district has many advantages. These include the State’s investment in the intra-field canal system and the abundant irrigation water source of the Ayun Ha irrigation project, with National Highway 25 running through it, facilitating the transportation of goods; the initiative of farmers in actively applying science and technology and production. On that basis, when there is more initiative in varieties, it will create a breakthrough to affirm the “Phu Thien Rice” brand in the market,” Mr. Nghia expected.
Talking to reporters, Mr. Mai Ngoc Quy - Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Phu Thien district - said: The selection of varieties plays a very important role, determining the yield and quality of rice grains. Currently, the rice varieties that farmers prioritize to use include: Dai Thom 8, ST25, Nep 97, TBR25... However, when put into cultivation, new rice varieties are only stable and have the best resistance to pests for about 5-7 years, after which they gradually degenerate. Therefore, the hybridization and selection model implemented by Chu A Thai Agricultural Cooperative in coordination with the Mekong Delta Development Research Institute is of special importance. The model will contribute to diversifying rice varieties, increasing local initiative in rice production, towards developing sustainable agriculture.
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