Vietnam develops new rice varieties adapted to floods and droughts

Vietnam has developed a new rice variety named DCG72. This variety has a short growth cycle and can be planted for 3 seasons a year. It has been planted in flood-affected provinces in north-central Vietnam and drought-prone areas in south-central Vietnam. Dr. Pham Van Hung, deputy director of the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences and one of the researchers, said that the growth cycle of this variety is about 100 days, which is 10-12 days shorter than other varieties. Due to the short growing period, early harvesting avoids drought and salt intrusion when crops are harvested. The yields of the new varieties for winter-spring and summer-autumn crops are as high as 5.4 t/ha and 4.9 t/ha. Moreover, the variety is resistant to common rice diseases such as bacterial blight, brown leafhopper and rice blast caused by fungi. The variety was experimentally planted in seven northern and central provinces in 2018-19, totaling nearly 1,000 hectares. The variety was recognized as a national rice variety in Decision No. 5098/QD-BNN of December 31, 2019. According to the researchers, the variety was developed with the assistance of Japan and supported by the Education and Research Enhancement Project of the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Under these projects, many Vietnamese scientists were trained in breeding, physiology and cultivation techniques in Japan. Specifically, the variety is the result of a collaborative project between the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Kyushu University in Japan.