Bac Thinh rice variety has high yield and is resistant to pests and diseases.

(Baonghean) - For more than two years now, the purebred Bac Thinh rice variety, developed and produced in Nghe An province through a collaboration between the North Central Seed Company and the Thanh Hoa Agricultural Seed Research and Application Center, has proven its superiority.

The rice plant is sturdy, less susceptible to pests and diseases, reducing the need for pesticides for farmers, resulting in high yields, beautiful grains, and delicious, fragrant cooked rice.

These days in May, farmers in Nghe An province share a common joy because of the bountiful spring rice harvest. This success is also due to the emergence of many new rice varieties. Among them, the purebred Bac Thinh rice variety has been adopted by many farmers in key rice-growing districts in the province, yielding high economic efficiency.

Leaders of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development visit the Bac Thinh rice seed production model in Dien Phuc commune, Dien Chau district. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Present at the rice fields of Phuc Thiem hamlet, Dien Phuc commune, Dien Chau district, where farmers were gathered to prepare for a workshop on the Bac Thinh rice variety model, elderly farmer Nguyen Thanh Ly excitedly shared that on this dry, infertile land, farmers have only achieved a maximum yield of 2.8 quintals per sao (approximately 1000 square meters) regardless of the rice variety they planted. Along with 40 other households in the hamlet implementing the model, his family dedicated 2.6 sao of land to planting the Bac Thinh rice variety.

Using the same fertilizer and care procedures as previous rice varieties, the rice plants showed improved growth, tillering, and rapid development, reaching a moderate height. They were resistant to blast disease and other pests, requiring only one pesticide application throughout the entire growing season. The outstanding advantages include strong stems, resistance to lodging, large panicles with abundant, bright yellow grains. Previously, with other rice varieties, farmers had to purchase pesticides 3-4 times per season and required significant labor. It is estimated that Mr. Ly's family harvested 3 quintals of rice per sao (approximately 1000 square meters), the highest yield ever. According to farmers participating in the model, families who invest in proper fertilizer application and follow the correct techniques as instructed by the seed supplier company, and whose rice flowers at the right time under favorable weather conditions, can achieve yields of 3.5 quintals per sao.

Mr. Le The Hieu, Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Dien Chau district, commented: "The model of producing Bac Thinh rice in Dien Phuc commune shows that the rice yield is guaranteed and the rice grains are delicious. This confirms that the Bac Thinh rice variety is suitable for the agricultural land of Dien Chau district. This rice variety has been recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, so the district plans to apply it for large-scale cultivation starting from this summer-autumn crop season."

In Thanh Chuong district, many farmers have also planted the high-yielding Bac Thinh rice variety. Mr. Kieu Son, the owner of an agricultural supplies agency in Hamlet 8, Xuan Tuong commune (Thanh Chuong), said that he has been selling the Bac Thinh rice variety to farmers for planting for the past two years. Although it is a new variety, farmers in the area have already planted it on a fairly large area.

During the past spring season, his agency sold over 5 tons of Bac Thinh rice seeds. Monitoring in several fields showed that the rice plants grew vigorously, had few pests and diseases, did not lodge, and yielded around 70 quintals/hectare. This summer-autumn season, his agency will continue to sell Bac Thinh rice seeds to farmers for planting.

Field demonstrations showed that the Bac Thinh rice variety, grown in Dien Chau district, achieved a yield of nearly 70 quintals/hectare. Photo: Xuan Hoang

According to the assessment of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, the Bac Thinh rice variety has been introduced for cultivation in several localities in the province. Assessments at several model farms, such as in Dien Phuc commune (Dien Chau district), showed that the average seed usage was 1.2 kg/sao (1 sao = 360 square meters). Despite the complex weather patterns of rain, cold, and erratic sunshine, pest and disease outbreaks such as blast and bacterial leaf blight were mild, requiring farmers to spray pesticides only once.

The Bac Thinh rice variety has a compact, sturdy plant structure, good lodging resistance, a height of around 1 meter, strong tillering ability, tolerance to intensive cultivation, long panicles, slender, closely packed grains, bright yellow color, 83% grain filling rate, and a growth period of 128-130 days. Economic efficiency in the construction and implementation of the adjacent model shows that pest control on the Bac Thinh rice variety helps farmers minimize input costs: seeds, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, labor for pest control, etc., resulting in high economic efficiency, a yield of 66 quintals/hectare, and a profit of nearly 22 million VND/hectare compared to investment.

Based on the success of the model, the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection hopes that localities will have plans and funding to replicate the model in rice production and intensive farming areas; and proposes that the North Central Seed Company continue to build Bac Thinh seed production models in other localities, different seasons and soil types in Nghe An province.

According to information from Thanh Vinh Agricultural Seed Company (Hamlet 6, Hung Dao Commune, Hung Nguyen District – the supplier of Bac Thinh rice seeds), the Bac Thinh rice variety has been cultivated in Nghe An province for two years, with one crop per year. In the spring of 2017, farmers in the districts of Dien Chau, Nam Dan, Thanh Chuong, Do Luong, Hung Nguyen, Tan Ky, and Yen Thanh planted 15 tons of this variety, equivalent to approximately 400 hectares. Some districts, such as Nam Dan and Thanh Chuong, achieved yields of 70 quintals/hectare. It is expected that the company will supply over 20 tons of seeds to the districts in the province for the summer-autumn crop.

The Bac Thinh rice variety was officially recognized and tested by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in 2015. Currently, this variety is favored by farmers in Thanh Hoa province and other northern and central provinces due to its high and stable yield, sticky and fragrant rice quality, and high resistance to pests, diseases, and adverse weather conditions. Bac Thinh is a temperature-sensitive rice variety, suitable for both rice and peanut cultivation per year. It adapts well to various soil types, including paddy fields, slightly low-lying fields, and elevated paddy fields. In Thanh Hoa province, farmers have even sown Bac Thinh rice in dry soil on land previously used for peanut cultivation, showing yields comparable to those grown on land used for two rice crops.

Xuan Hoang