The author of ST25, now retired, still lives fully with rice.

Soc Trang - Despite being retired, Dr. Tran Tan Phuong - one of the three authors of the ST25 rice variety - is still diligently working in the fields, continuing his journey of rice breeding.

The golden age for research passion.

In early June, we had the opportunity to visit Dr. Tran Tan Phuong, one of the three "fathers" of the ST25 rice variety , which produces the world's best-tasting rice. Although he officially retired in April of this year, he still goes out to the fields to research and develop new rice varieties.

"Without this retirement period, it would be difficult to realize our dreams. If we don't assess the situation in time, the entire corporation will just sit in the refrigerator," Dr. Phuong shared.

Despite being retired, Dr. Phuong - the creator of the ST25 rice variety - still dedicates her time to developing new rice varieties. Photo: Phuong Anh

Currently, he and his team are focusing all their efforts on evaluating over 3,000 rice varieties collected from around the world and more than 10,000 hybrid combinations they have developed over the past 20 years. Each season, the team surveys several hundred to a thousand combinations. It is expected to take 2-3 years to complete. He believes that among them, there will be some superior varieties.

"We dream of creating rice varieties that bring farmers as much joy as tending to flowers. When they go to the fields and see the beauty, the fragrance, and feel proud—that is the ultimate goal of agricultural scientists," said Dr. Phuong.

Dr. Phuong stated that, to realize this dream, the research team always starts from the practical needs of farmers and the production conditions in the fields. New varieties are only introduced into mass production when they are truly superior to the control varieties currently used by farmers.

Happiness comes from the rice fields.

Dr. Phuong said that he and his team began their breeding journey in 2003. Starting with simple combinations of just 2-3 parents, they created varieties like ST11 and ST12. Later, each combination had up to a dozen parents to integrate aroma, softness, pest and disease resistance, and beautiful grain shape. Thanks to this, the ST24 and ST25 varieties were subsequently created.

"We have to overcome a huge obstacle. The goal is to make fragrant rice suitable for 2-3 harvests per year, yielding high productivity and, most importantly, being resistant to pests and diseases," said Dr. Phuong.

Dr. Phuong stated that the ST25 rice variety, which won the title of "World's Best Rice" in 2019 and was again honored in 2023, is the result of decades of research and evaluation.

"This process could not have succeeded without the support of Labor Hero and engineer Ho Quang Cua, who played a crucial role in connecting with the market and gathering feedback from production realities," Dr. Phuong affirmed.

Dr. Phuong stands beside a refrigerator containing rice varieties that he and his research team have collected over the years. Photo: Phuong Anh

Dr. Phuong vividly remembers a humorous story told by a farmer: "Dr. Phuong has made me lazy. In the past, rice farming yielded low productivity and was prone to disease, but now with ST25, which is expensive and resistant to pests and diseases, I don't need to struggle as much anymore."

"Our biggest goal isn't the award, but rather being accepted by farmers and consumers. When they appreciate the rice varieties we create, that's our greatest happiness," Dr. Phuong expressed.

Source: https://laodong.vn/cong-doan/tac-gia-st25-ve-huu-van-song-tron-cung-lua-1520193.ldo