Seedlings, seedling gardens: Solutions to ensure quality seed sources

* Reporter: Could you please tell us how many mother trees are there in Tien Giang province, how many mother tree gardens are recognized, and how is the care and protection carried out?

* Comrade Vo Van Men: Tien Giang has a favorable geographical location for agricultural production, with a variety of adaptable crops, including fruit trees. The whole province currently has over 88,000 hectares of fruit trees, with an output of over 1.8 million tons/year, with many specialty varieties such as: durian, jackfruit, Hoa Loc mango, Lo Ren star apple, dragon fruit... Therefore, the demand for seedlings for garden renovation and new planting is estimated at about 1.6 million seedlings/year.

In order to have enough qualified seedlings to serve the people's cultivation needs and continue to develop the province's fruit growing areas, in recent years, the Department of Agriculture has coordinated with localities to organize propaganda and mobilize organizations and individuals to select parent trees and establish parent tree gardens to create a source of quality breeding materials to serve the production of good seedlings to supply the market.

Up to now, the whole province has 26 parent trees and 9 parent tree gardens/6,096 trees, with many varieties such as: Hoa Loc mango, yellow longan, passion fruit, green-skinned grapefruit, Lo Ren star apple, Queen pineapple, dragon fruit, durian..., with the ability to supply over 3.9 million grafted eyes/year, creating a source of quality materials, serving the propagation of fruit trees for farmers in and outside the province to develop production.

* Reporter: What is the significance of seedling trees and seedling gardens for the development of crop varieties in Tien Giang province, especially in the context of the need to protect native crop varieties?

* Comrade Vo Van Men: According to the provisions of Clause 2, Article 23 of the Law on Cultivation 2018: Trees and tree gardens providing breeding materials must be granted a decision to recognize parent trees/parent tree gardens. The parent trees and parent tree gardens recognized in the province must have basic conditions, meet the requirements of the law in the production of plant varieties of seed production facilities, and promote the development of seed production.

Providing quality seedlings from the original source is very important, contributing to improving the output, quality and value of the province's fruit products, consolidating and enhancing the position of Tien Giang fruit in the domestic and export markets.

Most of the province's specialty fruit trees (Hoa Loc mango, Lo Ren star apple, Ri6 durian...) have recognized parent varieties, exploited breeding materials, and brought into cultivation in localities, contributing to the protection of indigenous plant varieties and specialties of the province.

Seedlings and seedling gardens are used for seedling production.

* Reporter: How important are parent trees and parent tree gardens in improving crop productivity and quality in Tien Giang?

* Comrade Vo Van Men: The selected and recognized parent trees and parent tree gardens all have outstanding characteristics compared to the population and mass varieties, such as: Good growth ability, high yield, high quality meeting commodity requirements, good resistance to pests and diseases...

Plant varieties are propagated from parent plants. Parent plant gardens have good, outstanding genetic characteristics from the mother plant, so they will have high productivity and quality.

In recent times, the province's plant varieties have been highly appreciated and favored by the people because they are propagated from parent trees and recognized parent tree gardens.

At the same time, with the same source of quality mother plants, it will contribute to forming a fruit material area towards goods of uniform size and quality, meeting export requirements.

* Reporter: With the current climate change situation, what measures does the Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection of Tien Giang province have to maintain and develop parent trees sustainably?

* Comrade Vo Van Men: To maintain, develop and effectively exploit parent trees and parent tree gardens in the province, the Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection of Tien Giang province focuses on implementing the following key contents:

Effectively implement Resolution 12/2022 dated July 8, 2022 of the People's Council of Tien Giang province stipulating the content of support and the level of support for the implementation of the task of developing seed production in the Program for Research Development and Seed Production to serve the restructuring of the agricultural sector in the period 2022 - 2030 in Tien Giang province.

Thereby, encouraging organizations and individuals to select parent trees, select superior trees that meet the standards issued by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Department of Agriculture and Environment); take care of parent tree gardens and seed gardens to provide breeding materials...

Organize information sharing in state management of plant varieties with other provinces; act as a bridge connecting the owners of primary seed sources and plant variety production facilities to help exploit and effectively use recognized breeding material sources inside and outside the province.

Check the actual situation of growth, development, care and exploitation of recognized parent trees and parent tree gardens in the province, ensuring that 100% of parent trees and parent tree gardens of organizations and individuals maintain all conditions in accordance with regulations. Thereby, guiding the owners of seed sources to effectively care for and exploit breeding materials, ensuring the prescribed quantity.

In addition, the provincial Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection organizes classes to disseminate legal documents on plant varieties for seed production and trading establishments in the province (6 classes/year/350 - 400 attendees), and disseminates to establishments producing perennial plant varieties by asexual methods that must propagate from parent trees/parent tree gardens.

Along with that, it is necessary to organize propaganda on mass media to advise people to use high-quality plant varieties, varieties with clear origin, ensuring quality, using seedlings propagated from parent trees, parent tree gardens; organize inspections of seed production and trading establishments, promptly prevent and strictly handle cases of seed production (asexual propagation) not propagated from recognized seed sources.

* Reporter: Thank you, comrade!

FRIENDLY (implementation)

Source: https://baoapbac.vn/kinh-te/202504/cay-dau-dong-vuon-cay-dau-dong-giai-phap-dam-bao-nguon-giong-chat-luong-1040593/