Replicating scientific topics into production

Mr. Nguyen Tuan An (left) introduces to the locality the model of cocoa intercropped in coconut gardens with investment support from the Department of Science and Technology.

Associate Professor Dr. Lam Thai Hung, Deputy Director of the Department of Science and Technology of Tra Vinh, said: Through the implementation of science and technology topics/projects in the research of plant and animal varieties and production processes such as conservation and preservation of genetic resources; selection and creation of breeds..., it has actively contributed to practical applications for production and cultivation. From there, it helps farmers improve economic efficiency by improving and raising the stature of livestock; productivity and quality of crops and livestock that are resistant to pests, diseases and climate change...

Through the implementation of biotechnology application projects in plant and animal breed research in the province; in the period of 2022 - 2024, 04 projects related to conservation and preservation of genetic resources and 11 projects on research on selection and breeding have been implemented.

Typically, in animal husbandry, selection and crossbreeding of improved cattle breeds have been carried out and 95% of the local yellow cattle herd has been raised from the Sind, Zebu, Brahman, Charolais, and Red Sindhi breeds (crossbred calves have an increased value of about 50% compared to local calves). The crossbred cattle breeds between Wagyu cattle and F1 cows include 3 crossbred cattle combinations: (black Wagyu male x Brahman crossbred female), (black Wagyu male x Charolais crossbred female); (black Wagyu male x BBB crossbred female) with high meat quality; the crossbred cattle breed with the F1 crossbred combination (BBB x Zebu) has a high fat opening ratio (fat ratio is 2.49ab ± 0.16) to transfer the raising process to livestock households in Cau Ngang, Chau Thanh, and Tra Cu districts to improve meat quality towards building the Tra Vinh beef brand. Selecting and creating a crossbred group of male Boer goats and female Bach Thao goats for high growth performance and meat quality in Tra Vinh province with the aim of building a goat meat brand for Tra Vinh province...

Mr. Phan Van Bao, Cong Thien Hung hamlet, Long Duc commune, Tra Vinh city shared: in 2023, his family was supported by a project of the grassroots science and technology "building a model of raising F1 hybrid goats (Boer x Bach Thao) for households in Long Duc commune, Tra Vinh city" with 02 female goats; after more than 01 year of raising, 03 more baby goats were born. From the above model, the family has now developed a herd of over 40 goats... With the current price of live goats, it brings a fairly high income to the breeders and is more stable than raising cows.

Previously, farmers had to find their own sources of seedlings (fruit trees, rice seeds) in neighboring provinces such as Ben Tre, Tien Giang, An Giang and aquatic, poultry, and livestock seeds from Binh Thuan, Ninh Thuan provinces... Especially, in selecting, restoring, crossbreeding, and rapidly multiplying plant varieties such as embryo culture to create a source of wax coconut seedlings; restoring peanut varieties. Selecting 02 peanut varieties LDH09 (yield 6.5 - 7.9 tons/ha) and LDH12 (yield 7.7 - 8.2 tons/ha) to transfer the cultivation process to producers in Cau Ngang, Tra Cu, Duyen Hai districts...

For grassroots science and technology projects, investment and replication among farmers have brought high efficiency and created a premise for transforming production structure and applying effective farming models to transformation. Such as the model of building a process of propagating and planting núa trees to transfer to núa growing households in An Quang Huu commune, Tra Cu district; the model of growing cocoa intercropped with coconut gardens in Song Loc commune, Chau Thanh district.

Mr. Hua Minh Hung, owner of the Nua powder production facility in Vam hamlet, An Quang Huu commune, Tra Cu district, said: in 2022, the Nua planting model of the Department of Science and Technology will be deployed in An Quang Huu commune; thereby, creating conditions for Nua planting households in the cooperative to access high-yield Nua varieties that are not degraded due to the use of perennial varieties in the past. Currently, the yield of Nua varieties is about 30 tons/ha, an increase of 0.8 - 01 tons/ha compared to before; growers earn 200 - 250 million VND/ha and the time from planting to harvest is more than 06 months.

Mr. Nguyen Tuan An, Lo Ngo hamlet, Song Loc commune, Chau Thanh district happily said: the project has supported his family with about 170 cocoa trees intercropped in 0.7ha of coconut. Currently, the cocoa is nearly 2 years old and is bearing fruit, each tree yields an average of 4 - 5kg/harvest, after this fruit crop it will officially enter the season and yield about 30kg/tree/crop. Cocoa harvest time, on average, 1 crop of fruit is picked every week; with the contract price of 5,500 VND/kg and currently, the enterprise has increased the purchase price of cocoa fruit to 13,000 VND/kg. I personally find the cocoa planting support project very effective and low cost, the price of cocoa fruit is very good for gardeners.

Comrade Diep Phuong, Vice Chairman of Song Loc Commune People's Committee, said: The cocoa planting support project invested by the Department of Science and Technology and the district for the locality is 10ha/20 households. Of which, the project supports 50% of seedlings (equivalent to 12,500 VND) and fertilizers; currently, cocoa trees are growing very well and adapting to the land in Song Loc. During the period of 2010 - 2012, households here planted cocoa but due to difficult transportation conditions for consumption in Ben Tre and unstable prices, cocoa trees were not maintained by the people; with favorable trading conditions and the commune having the Mekong Cocoa factory, the purchase and consumption of cocoa fruits among farmers is very good and the price is also quite high; the ability to develop cocoa trees of farmers intercropping coconut gardens is very large (the commune has nearly 800ha of coconut gardens).

Article and photos: HUU HUE

Source: https://www.baotravinh.vn/kinh-te/nhan-rong-cac-de-tai-khoa-hoc-vao-san-xuat-45042.html