Thanh Chuong: Overcoming the problem of multi-coefficient 1 rice variety C.uu

(Baonghean) - According to the feedback of some people in Thanh Hung, Thanh Lam, Thanh An communes... (Thanh Chuong), recently they bought hybrid rice seeds C.uu Da Coefficient 1 in the area to soak and incubate seedlings for spring planting, but the germination results were low, leading to small, weak seedlings, and some households even soaked and incubated without germination...

Ms. Le Thi Hoi in Hamlet 7, Thanh Hung Commune said: In previous crops, I often produced Khang Dan seeds. In the spring crop of 2013, I saw that the field next to Ms. Nguyen Bich Thuy's household planted C.uu Da Coefficient 1 seeds with a much higher yield than pure rice, reaching 3.5 quintals/sao, so this year I went straight to the District Plant Breeding Station to buy 9kg of this rice seed. But after 3 days of soaking and incubating, the germination rate was less than 50%, the rest were blackened and could not germinate". Mr. Nguyen Van Huong A in Tan Son Hamlet - one of the first households to soak and incubate C.uu Da Coefficient 1 seeds in Thanh Lam Commune explained: "What a strange variety. I soaked it on the right day, picked it up at the right time but did not see any germination. I was so scared that I took the seeds out to dry, then washed them thoroughly and continued to soak and incubate them according to the technical instructions given by the commune. After 5 more days, the seeds were still inert, the number of germinated seeds was sparse, only about 15%, the rice was black and smelled sour because it was soaked for too long"...

According to Mr. Dang Van Hanh - Vice Chairman of Thanh Lam Commune Farmers' Association: On January 3, the commune received 3.2 tons of C.uu Da Coefficient 1 rice seeds to supply to farmers for production on an area of ​​310 hectares in the spring crop of 2014. By January 10, people began to soak and incubate rice seeds and 723 kg did not germinate, if any, the rate was very low, about 30%... Tan Son Hamlet was the first unit to discover that this variety germinated at a very low rate, because according to custom, this hamlet often soaked and incubated seeds a few days earlier than the crop schedule because the area of ​​acid sulfate fields was larger than other hamlets. When delivering rice seeds, each household received a photocopy of the process of soaking and incubating hybrid rice seeds and how to cover spring seedlings with nylon, so it could not be because the farmers did not follow the technical process. After receiving feedback from the people, we reported the incident to the district. On the same day, officers from the Department of Agriculture and the Plant Seed Station came to inspect and promptly handled the situation by recalling the poor quality rice seeds and planning to reissue 1,949 kg of seeds to the people in time for crop production.

Mr. Phan Dinh Ha - Vice Chairman of Thanh Chuong District People's Committee said: Entering the crop calendar, in addition to January 10, 2014, some communes have soaked rice seeds, in which the C. uu da coefficient 1 variety has been found to have a poor germination rate, small and weak seedlings. Immediately after receiving the information, the District People's Committee coordinated with the Plant Seed Station and the People's Committees of the communes to inspect and verify. Through inspection, it was found that the batch of C. uu da coefficient 1 variety with a quantity of 7.8 tons supplied to Thanh Lam, Thanh Tung, Thanh Mai, Thanh An, Thanh Hung, Thanh Dong communes provided by Nghe An Seed Joint Stock Company had a low germination rate, not meeting the requirements. In that situation, on January 14, the district requested the above 6 communes to immediately stop soaking and incubating to send samples for testing. At the same time, the district has issued an urgent telegram to direct the units that have been organized and have received the hybrid rice seeds C.uu Da Coefficient 1 provided by the District Plant Seed Station, if they have not soaked and incubated, to immediately stop and take samples for testing; when the germination rate is above 80% and the roots are well developed, they should soak and incubate and sow the seedlings en masse. If the germination rate is low and the roots are poorly developed, they must notify the supplier for handling measures. Communes that have soaked and incubated and sowed the seedlings must check the percentage of seedlings that meet the requirements, and if there is a shortage, they must be supplemented immediately. When switching to other varieties or sowing additional seedlings, first use the hybrid rice varieties listed in the district's 2014 spring crop production plan. If there is a shortage, then switch to other hybrid rice varieties. When there is no more hybrid rice varieties, then switch to pure rice...

Farmers in Thanh Chuong district plant rice in the 2014 Spring crop.

“The C.uu Da Coefficient 1 rice variety has been recognized as a national variety. This is a 3-line hybrid rice variety produced by China and distributed through A Thai Agricultural Company Limited. Although it is only the third year it has been available in Thanh Chuong fields, this variety is trusted by people because of its good yield and quality, reaching over 65 quintals/ha, with some localities reaching 70 quintals/ha, and this variety is quite resistant to pests and diseases, especially rice blast disease. Through initial investigation, the 7.8-ton shipment may have been damp during transportation from abroad, causing the seeds to convert sugar content, change their properties, and "lose strength" and germinate poorly," added Mr. Phan Dinh Ha.

In agricultural production, rice seeds are one of the important factors determining the yield and quality of rice grains. Knowing that, before each crop season, farmers are very concerned about which rice varieties to plant and the district's seed supplier, the Plant Seed Station, has also carefully prepared the seed source to supply to farmers. However, there have been cases where farmers in some communes have bought rice seeds that did not germinate. Talking to us about this issue, Mr. Nguyen Huu Huan - Accountant of Thanh Chuong Plant Seed Station also said: "The station always takes samples of the imported batch at the beginning of the season to see if the rate meets the standards before allowing the seeds to be released. In particular, the batch of C. uu da coefficient 1 seeds supplied to the 6 communes mentioned above germinated poorly, possibly because some of the seed bags were not properly preserved. During the loading and transport process, air got in, causing the seeds to be weak. Currently, Nghe An Plant Seed Joint Stock Company has worked with the authorities of the communes on the basis of ensuring the interests of the people, by recalling all the poor quality seeds that have been released from the warehouse and returning or exchanging them for other seeds for the people."

According to the 2014 spring crop production plan, the total cultivated area of ​​Thanh Chuong is 14,200 hectares, of which 8,000 hectares are rice, with the hybrid rice variety Nhi uu 986 and the C.uu da coefficient 1 variety being the main ones; the varieties Kinh so uu 1588, ZZD 001, ZZD 004 will gradually replace other hybrid rice varieties for gradual expansion. Immediately after the incident, Nghe An Seed Joint Stock Company worked directly with the people, planning to re-issue the C.uu da coefficient 1 variety or change to another variety in the district's production plan according to the people's wishes. Accordingly, Thanh Lam commune was re-issued 1,900 kg, Thanh Dong commune was supplemented with 18 kg of C.uu da coefficient 1 rice variety; Thanh Hung commune returned 230 kg of C.uu Da Coefficient 1 rice seeds to the supplier, and purchased Kinh So Uu 1588 hybrid rice seeds to fix the problem; Thanh An commune provided an additional 300 kg of hybrid rice seeds in cash to fix the problem (the commune purchased ZZD 001 and ZZD 004 hybrid rice seeds to provide affected households with timely sowing of rice seedlings)... In a short time, localities quickly fixed the problem, and basically replaced the C.uu Da Coefficient 1 rice seeds with other varieties that met the requirements of the crop calendar as well as the quality of the seeds. Depending on the needs of the people, the Plant Seed Station provided timely seeds for people to have enough seeds to plant the entire area. Up to this point, 8,000 hectares of spring rice in Thanh Chuong district have basically been closed.

This is not the first time people have been "stuck" with poor quality rice seeds in our province. Also in the spring crop of 2014, not only Thanh Chuong district, Nam Giang Agricultural Joint Stock Cooperative (Nam Dan) imported 500 kg of pure NA2 rice seeds from Agricultural Materials Joint Stock Company and had 100 kg of germination rate below 55%. In Nam Cat commune, 500 kg of NA2 seeds had germination rate below 35%. Recalling the spring crop of 2010, farmers in Do Luong, Hung Nguyen, and Nam Dan districts bought "problematic" AC5 rice seeds offered by Dai Nam Agricultural Joint Stock Company... Through the recent incidents of rice seeds in localities, it is necessary to tighten the management of rice seed quality in the face of the current situation of "hundred flowers blooming" seed production and supply. The authorities need to check the seed purchase and sale contract documents and take measures to deal with poor quality seeds in accordance with the law. This is also a lesson in seed management and supply by businesses and specialized management agencies in the province.

Ngoc Anh