Rice fields in the Mekong Delta are gradually "starving" for nutrients.

Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Mr. Nguyen Van Bo - Chairman of the Science and Technology Council of Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company said that the Mekong Delta is the largest rice granary of the country, providing more than 50% of rice output and 90% of Vietnam's rice export volume. This is also a region that has been blessed by nature with fertile land, abundant fresh water resources with an annual supply of alluvium in large quantity and very good quality, helping to cultivate rice and many other crops very effectively.

Đất lúa ở ĐBSCL đang dần — Mr. Le Thanh Tung - Deputy Director of the Department of Crop Production spoke at the workshop. Photo: Huynh Xay

However, recently, according to the assessment of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Mekong Delta has become one of the three deltas in the world most heavily affected by climate change.

Recent studies have also shown that over-intensive farming, increased cropping, unbalanced fertilization, non-reuse of straw, along with salinity intrusion, and reduced annual sediment flow from the upper Mekong River, have caused rice production to face many challenges such as increased costs and efficiency not commensurate with investment. In addition, rice cultivation is also a major greenhouse gas emitter, accounting for about 50% of the agricultural production sector.

As a provider of solutions for appropriate fertilizer use in relation to rice cultivation, Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company recognizes that only by understanding the nature of soil fertility and correctly identifying the limiting factors for rice production will fertilizer use be "correct", meeting the goals of reducing costs, increasing efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

With such thinking, Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company cooperated with the Department of Crop Production and the Vietnam Rice Industry Association to organize a national workshop: "Soil and Fertilizer" with the theme "The actual fertility status of rice soil in the Mekong Delta and solutions to improve the efficiency of fertilizer use in rice cultivation".

Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company hopes that the results of the workshop will also contribute to the technical completion of the rice cultivation process of the project of 1 million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice associated with green growth in the Mekong Delta (project of 1 million hectares of rice).

At the workshop, Mr. Le Thanh Tung - Deputy Director of the Department of Crop Production said that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is piloting a project of 1 million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice. To achieve the project's goals, there are many issues that need to be resolved, including one issue raised by the workshop: soil quality and effective use of fertilizers.

Mr. Tran Ngoc Thach - Director of the Mekong Delta Rice Institute said that the unit has 38 years of research on rice soil. Through that, it realized the most common problem is the serious decrease in organic matter.

Professor Nguyen Bao Ve - Vice Chairman of the Science and Technology Council of Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company commented that rice fields are facing a nutritional imbalance.

Professor Nguyen Bao Ve said: "Recently, in the smart rice farming program, the Company has conducted research on the fertility of rice land in the Mekong Delta. The results show that rice land is facing a nutritional imbalance and the agricultural sector needs to pay attention."

"When we took 76 rice soil samples at 38 locations in the Mekong Delta for analysis, we discovered a nutritional imbalance due to the degradation of organic matter quality, reduced phosphorus availability in some places, etc. Although the problem is not alarming, it needs to be considered for improvement, " added Professor Nguyen Bao Ve.

Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company signed a cooperation agreement with many enterprises to implement the "Smart rice cultivation program, reducing emissions in the Mekong Delta region in the period of 2024-2027". Photo: Huynh Xay

In the coming time, according to Professor Nguyen Bao Ve, rice fields in the Mekong Delta need to implement many technical solutions to improve the soil. Specifically, using microbial products to treat straw right in the field to restore nutrients to the soil; deep tillage to create a thicker arable layer; drying the soil; soaking the soil; making water ditches when planting rice. At the same time, applying bio-calcium fertilizer to improve soil nutrition and reduce organic poisoning.

With the above method, Professor Nguyen Bao Ve said, it will help increase productivity by more than 12% compared to the control field (model reaches 7.62 tons/ha; control field 6.51ha).

Mr. Le Canh Dinh from the Institute of Agricultural Planning and Design also said that under the impact of climate change and cultivation, there is an imbalance in the nutrition of rice fields.

Therefore, in the production process, especially the soil preparation stage, it is necessary to decompose straw and return nutrients to the soil, instead of putting straw in the field. Currently, Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company has provided a process to decompose straw quickly when combining mechanization with fertilization.

At the workshop, Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) signed a cooperation agreement on the project "Research, evaluation and development of straw treatment technology to increase efficiency and reduce emissions in production"; Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company signed a cooperation agreement with many enterprises to implement the "Smart rice cultivation program, reducing emissions in the Mekong Delta region for the period 2024-2027".

Source: https://danviet.vn/dat-lua-o-dbscl-dang-dan-doi-dinh-duong-20241002135354807.htm