The KK3 sugarcane variety achieved a yield of 100 tons/ha in Nghia Dan district.

The KK3 sugarcane variety is grown on nearly 300 hectares in Nghia Dan district, across many communes. Farmers receive sugarcane seedlings on loan from the NASU Sugar Factory and are provided with services ranging from technically correct plowing and planting to machine-based herbicide application.

Nghe An Sugar Company Limited established a model in Quan Mit hamlet, Nghia Thanh commune. Ms. Hoang Thi Thuy's family was the first to implement it, with an area of ​​nearly 1.7 hectares. This is the first time Ms. Thuy has planted the Thai KK3 sugarcane variety. Ms. Thuy said: The KK3 sugarcane variety is less susceptible to pests and diseases, can be ratooned for up to 5 years, the average yield in the first crop is 106 tons/ha, the second crop is 120 tons/ha, and the third and fourth crops reach 100 tons, with a sugar content of over 10 CCS.

For the KK3 sugarcane variety, farmers need to treat the cuttings before planting; pay attention to planting density, spacing, and care methods to ensure the ratooning process lasts longer.

Currently, Nghia Dan district has over 7,000 hectares of sugarcane, mainly various sugarcane varieties. However, due to long-term cultivation, there is a problem of degeneration, especially sugarcane grassy shoot disease, for which there is currently no effective treatment. Nghe An Sugarcane Company Limited is planning to introduce new, high-yield sugarcane varieties to replace the old ones, and the KK3 variety is a good choice for farmers with its advantages of high yield, high sugar content, and preferential policies for planting KK3 sugarcane in the spring season, such as the company providing a subsidy of 1.5 million VND/ha...

The KK3 sugarcane variety was tested and evaluated by Nghe An Sugarcane Company Limited starting in 2011, through a collaborative project with the Sugarcane Research Institute. The project aimed to find a new sugarcane variety resistant to sugarcane grassy shoot disease (caused by Phytoplasma), which had been devastating the sugarcane growing area since 2006, reducing yield and quality, shortening the sugarcane growing cycle, and causing sugar factories to lack raw materials. Small-scale and large-scale comparative trials were conducted from 2011-2014, and the KK3 variety was introduced into a rapid propagation system using a three-tiered disease-free sugarcane seed production system in 2015, and mass production began in 2017.

Mr. Ngo Van Tu, General Director of Nghe An Sugar Company Limited, said that the KK3 sugarcane variety grown in Nghia Dan district has The variety exhibits resistance to sugarcane grassy shoot disease caused by Phytoplasma under both large-scale and small-scale trials. It completely controls sugarcane grassy shoot disease without requiring government funding. The company has implemented a three-tiered, disease-free sugarcane seed production process, rapidly multiplying the sugarcane variety after the trial period; perfected the care process, overcoming shortcomings such as leaf blight and ratoon germination; and supplemented magnesium (MgO) through the application of fused phosphate fertilizer. The application of this model demonstrates the following:

The yield of KK3 sugarcane variety nearly doubled compared to other varieties. Specifically, with an area of ​​3,224 hectares, a yield of 10 tons/hectare and a profit of 1,150,000 VND/ton resulted in a total revenue of 37.076 billion VND. This represents the additional income for farmers implementing the model.

Based on the above model, the company gained an additional 32,240 tons of sugarcane for processing, reducing depreciation costs; increased sugar production by 3,224 tons, increased electricity output supplied to the national grid, and improved production and business efficiency. The CCS of the KK3 sugarcane variety was 0.32 CCS higher than that of the LK92-11 variety; and higher than that of the QD93-159 variety.

Thanks to the economic benefits it brings, farmers continue to be more committed to sugarcane cultivation, contributing to poverty reduction, job creation, and income generation for farmers, thereby contributing to the socio-economic development of western Nghe An province.

Currently, NASU Sugar Mill is planning to expand the area planted with KK3 sugarcane in the following seasons.