Several novel rice cultivars developed thanks to scientific research

Rice production in Quang Ngai province has improved significantly over the last year, leading to farmers' increased productivity.

However, unpredictable weather fluctuations have a significant effect on agricultural output. Without appropriate precautions, farmers will not make a profit and the danger of abandoning fields is apparent. Additionally, under the present rice variety structure, short-term, high-yielding, and high-quality rice varieties capable of producing two rice harvests per year are in limited supply in Quang Ngai and central provinces, unable to fulfill production needs.

Quang Ngai authorities advocated for the establishment of the Quang Ngai Seed Center to conduct scientific and technological research, specifically "Select, create, and develop some new short-term rice varieties that are high yielding and of high production quality in order to boost farmers' incomes in Quang Ngai and some central provinces.”

As Do Duc Sau - Director of the Quang Ngai Seed Center and topic expert - said, the selection process was conducted in group trials, choosing pure elite varieties. During the 2016-2017 spring season, the ten most elite varieties were selected, and the eight most outstanding pure lines were harvested during the 2017 summer-autumn crop.

The cultivars have a short growing season, peaking around midday; the winter-spring crop lasts between 100 and 110 days, while the summer-autumn crop lasts between 89 and 94 days. The chosen rice varieties, in particular, have a tougher plant that is less sensitive to pests and diseases and has a higher resistance to BPH than the control types HT1 and mutant Khang Dan. Winter sprig crop yields were from 81.3 to 88.6 quintals per ha, an increase of 18.1-28.7 percent over the control variety HT1, while summer-autumn crop yields ranged from 66.8 to 74.3 quintals per ha, an increase of 4.2-22.4 percent over two control types.

According to Sau, the subjet will provide a report on the outcomes of the selection and testing of three new rice varieties QNg6, QNg13, and QNg128 after obtaining the results of the national testing procedures. The Department of Crops has approved the trial production of the first two varieties, QNg6 and QNg13, in the South Central Coast and Central Highlands provinces; more specifically, the QNg128 variety has been approved for trial production in the South Central Coast provinces.

Additionally, the initiative established 12 demonstration models for two novel rice varieties, QNg6 and QNg13, across a 60-hectare area in six plain districts of Quang Ngai. 

The results indicate that the QNg6 rice variety features series of good qualities including produces a high yield, toughness, excellent resistance to falling, disease-resistant, and cold tolerant in the winter-spring crop; and that the QNg13 rice variety produces a high yield, is tough, has excellent resistance to falling, has good rice quality, good disease resistant, and good cold tolerance in the summer-autumn crop.

Additionally, three rice varieties QNg6, QNg13, and QNg128 have shown exceptional benefits in recent seasons via demonstration and experimental production models on the South Central Coast.

"After trial production was approved, the Quang Ngai Seed Center applied and expanded the study findings. By October 2020, all three rice aforementioned varieties would be eligible for circulation in the South Central Coast and Central Highlands. In many provinces of the South Central Coast and Central Highlands, three quality rice varieties QNg6, QNg13, and QNg128 have been integrated into the production structure for farmers in the winter spring crop 2020-2021 and summer-autumn crop 2021, gradually displacing older, ineffective rice varieties ", according to Do Duc Sau, the Quang Ngai Seed Center's director.