BEN TRE'S FARMERS GIVEN ACCESS TO SCI-TECH KNOWLEDGE

On August 30, 2007, a 15-day training session of rice seedling skills for farmers in Mo Cay District, Ben Tre Province, came to an end. The session was collaboratively held by the Plant Seedling Center (PSC) and the Mekong Delta Research and Development Institute (MRDI). It was attended by 28 farmers who are living in Tan Phu Tay, Phuoc My Trung, and Tan Thanh Binh Communes, Mo Cay District.

At the session, farmers were presented with 13 subjects, including techniques to sow rice seedling, the growth stages of rice, techniques to plant a single rice seedling, policy of plant seedling management, insect, plant disease and weed management, the process of seedling production in the community, the degeneration of seed, methods to revigorate a variety, genetics and its application in species selection, variety selection from a separative generation, after-harvest treatment of seed.

Besides, learners were also able to take part in experimental practice to multiply the variety of MTL384, HĐ1 on 1,000 sqm of paddy field and comparative field, each variety was sowed over an area of 100 sqm; to revigorate the variety of OM 576; and select the separative generation of F2, F5, F6.

After the session, all learners were granted with a certificate to confirm that they had attended the session.

The most positive aspect of this session was that it had helped local farmers gain access to scientific and technical advances, and that they may apply what they learned from the session so that their rice field may grow better, yield higher output and reduce expenses.

The session organizers encouraged learners to apply knowledge they had been taught into their real fields in order to increase their incomes. Each farmer was also encouraged to move forward to play key role in rice production of the community.

Translated by Truong Hung