Can Tho evaluates climate-resilient rice varieties

On the morning of August 21, the High Agricultural Technology Research Institute (HATRI) held a workshop in Binh Thuy Ward, Can Tho City, to evaluate rice varieties for production under climate change conditions.

As part of the program, the High Agricultural Technology Research Institute (HATRI) introduced and evaluated groups of rice varieties with the ability to adapt to adverse production conditions. The groups included 16 acid sulfate soil-tolerant varieties, 18 salt-tolerant varieties, 13 drought-tolerant varieties, 34 mutant varieties and 18 glutinous rice varieties.

According to Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Lang, Director of HATRI, the program aims to research and develop rice varieties that can adapt to increasingly complex climate change conditions in the Mekong Delta. In addition to tolerating acid sulfate soils, salinity, and drought, the new varieties must also resist pests and diseases, deliver high yields, and suit actual production conditions.

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Lang said climate change is currently causing not only saltwater intrusion, flooding, acid sulfate soil and drought, but also affecting pest and disease patterns in rice. During the summer-autumn crop, common diseases such as bacterial leaf blight and blast, along with brown planthoppers, can cause significant damage while increasing farmers’ spending on crop protection products.

According to Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Lang, farmers in some production areas may spend VND 5–10 million per hectare on crop protection products. Therefore, HATRI’s research focuses on integrating multiple resistance and tolerance traits into a single variety, ensuring high yields while enabling rice plants to better withstand adverse conditions and reducing production costs.

For acid sulfate soil-tolerant varieties, HATRI is focusing on evaluating promising lines, with HATRI 190, HATRI 60 and HATRI 55 standing out. Research results show these varieties adapt well to acid sulfate soil conditions and are being further tested under actual field conditions.

Ngo Chi Hieu, from the Can Tho Sub-Department of Plant Production and Protection, said several trials of acid sulfate soil-tolerant rice varieties are being conducted in Can Tho, with HATRI 190 and HATRI 60 among the notable varieties.

Based on initial assessments, farmers said these varieties showed better tolerance to acid sulfate soil than some commonly cultivated varieties. Yields could reach around 10 tons per hectare during the winter-spring crop and approximately 8 tons per hectare during the summer-autumn crop. However, these results have so far been recorded only in trial plots and require further monitoring before the varieties can be scaled up.

In addition to acid sulfate soil-, salt- and drought-tolerant varieties, HATRI is also researching a collection of 34 mutant rice varieties and 18 glutinous rice varieties to diversify genetic materials for breeding and meet different production and market requirements.

Notably, HATRI is researching low-greenhouse-gas-emission rice varieties in line with the goal of implementing the project to develop 1 million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice in the Mekong Delta.

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Lang said HATRI began researching low-emission rice varieties in 2023. The varieties are selected based on criteria such as high yield, short growth duration, clustered panicles, large grains and low greenhouse gas emissions.

Through its research, HATRI has identified three promising low-emission varieties: HATRI 88, HATRI 78 and HATRI 25. These varieties are short-statured, relatively high-yielding and fairly uniform. However, they are still considered promising varieties and have not yet been officially recognized for large-scale production. Further trials and the required VCU and DUS procedures must be completed in accordance with regulations.

At the workshop, businesses also welcomed efforts to accelerate research and bring new varieties into production. Lu Thanh Phong, Director of Marketing and Product Development at Southern Seed Corporation, said that amid increasingly severe climate change, researching and supplying rice varieties with strong adaptability is essential.

According to Phong, the company hopes to work with HATRI to select high-performing varieties, accelerate their production and market supply, and meet farmers’ needs. New varieties should deliver high yields and quality while offering better adaptability to climate change, contributing to the effective implementation of the 1 million-hectare project.

Phong said Southern Seed Corporation currently supplies rice seeds mainly to the Southeast, South Central Coast and parts of the Central Highlands. However, current supply remains insufficient to fully meet farmers’ demand, prompting the company to partner with multiple organizations to produce and supply seeds.

The workshop strengthened cooperation among scientists, management agencies, and businesses in evaluating, testing, and developing rice varieties. It also marked a step toward bringing climate-resilient varieties into production, improving the efficiency and sustainability of the Mekong Delta’s rice sector.