Description

[Synopsis]

In the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, after the long wars and confusion, market oriented economy under doi moi policy has brought about a rapid increase of productivity in agriculture particularly of rice. Compound agriculture called farming systems are based on rice and combine livestock, aquaculture and horticulture. Hog is fed with broken rice and bran. Fish and prawns are stocked in pond and fertilized with hog wastes. Horticulture especially fruit tree is kept in farm yard and also fertilized with hog wastes and pond slurry, Nitrogen in the pond water would be recycled to rice again.

Rice yield can be stabilized at high level if lodging is prevented by dressing nitrogen at booting stage and by draining water for several days during cropping period. Troublesome rice diseases are sheath blight, bacterial blight, blast, and red stripe. Resistance genes to bacterial blight and blast are specified and found to be transferable to the existing varieties. By eliminating parasites, pigs grow two weeks earlier to shipping size. Physiological process of growth, molting, and maturation in giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) is clarified to certain extent so that seeds production might be improved. Cooperation in trade, water management and crediting through advanced organization is expected for the further development of farming systems in the Mekong Delta.