Exploiting the potential of hybrid corn

Currently, maize growing areas in Vietnam have not fully exploited the productivity and profitability of hybrid maize because of the low density and irrational fertilizer application. The project " Management of specialized nutrition for corn in Vietnam " by the Institute of International Plant Nutrition - Southeast Asia Program, in collaboration with a number of Vietnamese institutes and schools, has initially helped farmers exploit good economic potential of hybrid corn, opening up many prospects for corn growing areas in Vietnam.

Corn is the third largest food crop in the world after wheat and rice. In Vietnam, corn is considered the second most important food crop after rice. In the types of corn, hybrid corn is the most popular crop, accounting for 70% of the corn growing area of ​​the country.

Dr. Nguyen Van Bo, Director of Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said: 'The area of ​​hybrid maize cultivation in the country is now more than 1 million ha, but the average output is only about 3.5 million tons / year. However, Vietnam still has to import more corn from foreign countries. The proportion of animal husbandry is growing, the demand for using corn for animal feed is increasing. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the productivity and economic efficiency of hybrid maize '.

In 2005, the International Institute of Plant Nutrition - Southeast Asia Program cooperated with Can Tho University, Mekong Delta Rice Institute, Southern Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology, Institute of Soil and Agricultural Chemistry and Institute of Science and Technology. Central Highlands Agro-forestry implements the project of 'Specialized nutritional management for corn in Vietnam' . The project was implemented from 2005 to 2008 with the aim of increasing productivity and profitability of corn in the major maize growing areas of Vietnam, through the application of optimal farming techniques, management measures. Specialized nutrients and integrated nutrient management.

In 2005-2006, institutes and schools carried out field experiments of farmers in some provinces in the North, Central Highlands, Southeast and Mekong River Delta, to find out the maximum productivity that could be achieved. and the efficiency of nutrient use of corn. Thereby, scientists have developed a method to determine the best way to manage NPK nutrients for corn, based on the best corn cultivation and management techniques that farmers can apply. This method is being tested on each farmer's plot in each specific region.

Scientists visit corn fields and provide technical guidance to farmers in Tien Giang.(Photo: CTV)

Dr. Ton Nu Tuan Nam, Head of the Department of Agricultural Systems, Tay Nguyen Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute, said: ' Two important issues of the method are changing the planting density and formula of NPK fertilizer. . Depending on the ecological conditions of each region, scientists give a reasonable planting density and fertilization formula '.

The Central Highlands Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute implemented 15 pilot models in Dak Lak province on 3 types of soil: basalt red soil, black soil with gravel and gray sand soil. Each soil type has a suitable fertilizer formula. Gray sandy soil is heavily fertilized with nitrogen (N), basalt red soil, it is applied with many phosphorus (P), black soil with gravel is limited to use potassium (K) . Planting density is increased to 65,000 trees to 70,000 trees / ha compared to 50,000 trees / ha of farmers. Through two trials of maize, the scientists have determined the highest yield for the specialized fertilizer application form of 8-10 tons of seeds / ha, while the model of farmers only reaches 6-7 tons of seeds / ha.

With the refreshing method, farmers can save production costs and improve productivity, thus achieving higher profit than traditional methods of 4-5 million VND / ha.

Just like the Central Highlands, other regions and regions have experimented, selected the planting density and formula of appropriate NPK fertilizer, helping farmers to exploit the productivity of hybrid maize and improve the economic efficiency. In the north, experiments were conducted in mountainous areas, infertile lands and alluvial soil along the river. Dr. Mai Thut Son, Deputy Director of the Institute of Soil and Agricultural Chemistry, commented: 'The new method brings many practical effects. In particular, helping mountainous farmers increase productivity on flat land, reduce hill land exploitation, contribute to protecting the ecological environment '. In the Southeast, the Southern Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology implemented 10 models in Dong Nai and Tay Ninh provinces.

In the Mekong Delta region, the Mekong Delta Rice Institute implemented 5 models in Tan Chau district, An Giang province; Can Tho University implemented 10 models in Tra Vinh and Soc Trang provinces. Dr. Nguyen My Hoa, Deputy Head of Department of Soil Science and Land Management, Department of Agriculture and Applied Biology, Can Tho University, said: 'Hybrid corn plants are more efficient than water use plants. With rice, irrigation water can be saved. Moreover, the demand for using hybrid corn for animal feed is very high. The Mekong Delta is in the process of monoculture of rice to rice-color rotation, so improving productivity and economic efficiency in hybrid corn farming will help farmers to effectively convert their crops'.

All models implemented in the provinces increased the density of crops higher than farmers. The density that scientists choose is from 65,000 to 75,000 plants / ha, depending on the specific region. The formula for NPK fertilization is also adjusted to suit each plot, land area. In addition, general plant management measures such as: seeding, planting, weed control, disease prevention, watering, organic fertilizer . are also instructed specifically for farmers by the scientists. people.

In January 2007, the first phase evaluation workshop of the project ' Specialized nutrition management for maize in Vietnam ' was held at Can Tho University. With the results achieved in the first stage, scientists affirmed the benefits and practical effectiveness of the project. In 2007, institutes and schools continued to complete experiments on point models. On that basis, summarize and provide complete methods for each region. In 2008, the project will disseminate and widely disseminate new methods to farmers, through extension centers, extension stations, local authorities and relevant departments.

Dr. Nguyen Van Bo, Director of Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences, affirmed: ' The project will contribute to improving the yield of hybrid maize, from 3.5 million tons / year to about 5 million tons / year, meet the domestic market demand '. Although the project is in the process of implementation, it has opened up the prospect of exploiting the potential of hybrid maize of the whole country.

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