Vol. 24 No. 6 (2026): Tạp chí Khoa học Nông nghiệp Việt Nam

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of several technical factors on the vegetative propagation of Ha Bac mulberry (Morus alba L.) using cuttings. The experiments were conducted under roofed nursery condition at the Faculty of Agronomy, Vietnam National University of Agriculture, during the Winter-Spring season of 2022-2023. Four experiments were arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications to investigate the effects of growing media, cutting position, cutting length, and several rooting treatment products, with water-treated cuttings used as the control. The results indicated that the growing medium consisting of soil + manure : rice husk ash : coco coir at a ratio of 5:2:2 produced the best performance, with a survival rate of 80.0% and a rooting percentage of 61.7%, an average of 5.9 roots per cutting, and a mean root length of 4.3 cm. Cuttings with a length of 20 cm taken from the basal part of the stem exhibited the highest shoot initiation and rooting rates. The application of rooting treatment products significantly enhanced rooting and shoot growth of mulberry cuttings, among them, Bimix showed the highest effectiveness, increasing shoot length by 40.6% compared to the  water-treated control. These findings provide scientific basis for improving the vegetative propagation protocol of Ha Bac mulberry, contributing to germplasm conservation and the sustainable development of mulberry cultivation for sericulture.

Basal stem and root rot is one of the most destructive diseases causing serious losses in both yield and quality of cassava in many growing regions of Vietnam, particularly in the northern mountainous provinces. This study was conducted to identify the causal agent of cassava basal stem and root rot in Lao Cai province, Vietnam, and to evaluate its biological characteristics. Isolation, artificial inoculation, morphological characterization, and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region sequence analysis were used in this study. The results indicated that isolate Agroathelia rolfsii YBS24 is the causal pathogen of basal stem and root rot of cassava. The fungus exhibited optimal growth on PDA medium. The fungus grew over a wide pH range, from 4 to 9, with optimal growth between pH 5 and 8. It also grew over a relatively wide temperature range of 15-35°C, with temperatures between 25°C and 30°C being most favorable for mycelial growth. The results of this study provide a crucial scientific foundation for developing effective and sustainable management strategies for cassava basal stem and root rot disease.

The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of planting density on the growth, development, yield and economic efficiency of cherry tomato varieties during 2024 Autumn-Winter season in Hung Yen province. The experiment was a split-plot design with three planting densities: 25,000 plants/ha, 20,000 plants/ha, and  16,666 plants/ha) as whole plot and four cherry tomato varieties (HT144, HT136, QH3, and QH9) as subplots, with three replications. The results indicated that planting density had a significant effect on the growth and yield of cherry tomatoes. Planting density with 20,000 plants/ha produced balanced plant height, higher fruit set rate, and optimal actual yield. Regarding varietal performance, HT144 and QH9 produced highest yields, while QH3 and QH9 exhibited superior economic efficiency, generating profits of VND904-943 million per hectare. The combination of medium planting density of 20,000 plants per ha with HT144, QH3 or QH9 was identified as the most suitable for cherry tomato production in the Autumn-Winter season in the studied region to optimize production efficiency, enhance economic value, and promote sustainable cherry tomato cultivation.

This study aimed to elucidate the genetic basis underlying rice grain morphology and size, thereby providing a scientific foundation for the breeding of high-quality rice varieties that meet market demands. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted for morphological and grain structural traits in 102 pigmented pericarp rice accessions. GWAS analysis was performed using the TASSEL software, applying a mixed linear model (MLM), using 60,224 SNPs. A total of 31 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were identified associated with the following traits: grain length, grain width, decorticated grain length, decorticated grain width, decorticated grain thickness, grain length-to-width ratio, decorticated grain length-to-width ratio, lemma color, and decorticated color. Among these, 8 loci overlapped with previously reported QTLs/genes, while 23 QTLs were novel. These results provide valuable information for molecular studies and for subsequent breeding of colored rice varieties.

This paper presents the results of a quick survey assessing soil and water salinity and pH levels in a new urban project area of Ben Luc commune Tay Ninh province and forecasts the potential adverse impacts on landscape plants. Representative water and soil samples were collected to determine electrical conductivity (EC) and pH values; at the same time, potential landscape plant species in and near the urban project area were also surveyed. The results of EC index indicated that surface water salinity ranged from 316 to 2,209 µS/cm, while soil salinity was classified as medium to non-saline, with soil extraction ECdc ranging from 204 to 1,676 µS/cm. The soil and water conditions in the study area indicated a potential risk to landscape plants if no adaptation technical interventions will be applied, higher risks was anticipated during the dry season when salinity intrusion from the Vam Co Dong River increased. Based on these findings, technical solutions and appropriate plant species have been proposed to mitigate the negative effects of salinity on landscape growth in the context of planned future construction and development in this area.

The study aimed to evaluate the effects of feeds on growth and survival rate of Denison barb larvae from 1 to 30 days, starting from the onset of exogenous feeding. Four experimental treatments (NT) were carried out: NT1: Days 1-14 fed Moina, days 15-21 fed bloodworms, days 22-30 fed formulated feed; NT2: Days 1-7 fed Moina, days 8-14 fed Moina + bloodworms, days 15-21 fed bloodworms + mixed feed, days 22-30 formulated feed; Treatment 3: Days 1-7 fed Moina, days 8-30 fed formulated feed; Treatment 4: Days 1-30 fed formulated feed. Moina and bloodworm were used as fresh biomass, while the formulated feed was in fine powder form containing 42% crude protein. The stocking density was 10 larvae per liter. Each treatment was replicated three times simultaneously. Results showed that the feed significantly affected the length, weight growth, and survival rate of the fish (P <0.05). NT1 produced the highest mean length (22.29 ± 0.034mm), weight (11.46 ± 0.024mg), and survival rate (75.67 ± 0.67%), while NT4 showed the lowest length (12.23 ± 0.005mm), weight (4.50 ± 0.024mg), and survival rate (29.0 ± 1.0%). These findings suggest that the use of live feed during early stages followed by a gradual transition to formulated feed positively influences the growth and survival of Denison barb larvae.

This study aimed to analyze the current situation and evaluated the operational efficiency of two local level water user organization models: cooperatives and pre-cooperatives in the Quan Lo - Phung Hiep area, Mekong delta, Vietnam. The study was conducted by collecting primary data from 102 organizations and conducting in-depth interviews with 225 managers using a structured questionnaire. The survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis and qualitative analysis. The results showed that cooperatives demonstrated significant advantages in terms of legal status, financial capacity, human resources, and the ability to diversify services. In contrast, the pre-cooperative model was more flexible but faced with many governance risks. The level of technology application was still very low in both models, although cooperatives showed a greater tendency to adopt digital management technologies. The study recommends that the local level water user organizations should be converted to the cooperative model, increasing investment in maintenance, diversifying revenue sources, and strengthening digital transformation.

Brown Rice is whole grain high in fiber, antioxidants, and many important vitamins and minerals. This product is suitable for people who on a diet or those with medical conditions such as diabetes type 2, high blood pressure, obesity, risk of heart stroke or high cholesterol. This study aimed to classify black brown and red brown rice based on the morphological characteristics. Images of brown rice samples were pre-processed to separate each separately, accompanied by corresponding image mask using the SAM. Each of these seeds was further analyzed to extract important morphological information related to the geometric structure including 19 independent features. These features were analyzed using machine learning models: decision tree (DT), random forest (RF) and support véc tơ machine (SVM). The results show that all three algorithms resulted highly accurate results, especially SVM, with an accuracy of 76%. The SVM model also outperformed the DT and RF models with Recall and F1-Score indexes reaching 83% and 80.2%, respectively, for the black brown rice sample. However, these indexes for the red brown sample were only below 70% due to the overlapping nature of the attributes in the feature space.

Fusarium solani is a serious pathogen of tomato plants, causing severe reductions in yield and fruit quality. In this study, we developed and optimized an artificial inoculation method for F. solani on detached tomato leaves to establish a convenient experimental model for studying plant diseases. Spores of F. solani obtained from Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) plates incubated at 28°C for 7 days were used in the experiments. Several factors were assessed for their impact on F. solani infection, including the medium for spore suspension, spore concentration, leaf material, and inoculum droplet volume. The inoculation procedure included trypan blue staining, which enabled early detection of infected tissues under microscopy. The optimal conditions for fungal infection were obtained using 1/2 PDB as the dilution medium with a spore concentration of 106 spores/ml, a droplet volume of 20-30l, and the fourth leaf from the top of six-week-old tomato plants. The established method was effectively applied to F. solani infection assays for evaluating the antifungal activity of bacterial culture filtrates. This protocol provides a practical tool for in vivo inoculation of F. solani on tomato plants and can be adapted for other crop species.

With the development of industrial pig housing systems, electricity plays a particularly important role in pig production. The paper measured electricity use efficiency and its determinants in pig production in Hanoi. The study was based on a survey of 122 pig farms and applied Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) with sub-vector and a multivariate regression model. The results indicate that the average electricity use efficiency of the farms was relatively low, with an average value of 33.20%. The key factors affecting electricity use efficiency included housing type, production cycle length, stocking density, and feed costs. The findings reveal that closed housing systems consumed more electricity than open housing systems, reflecting a trade-off between higher energy consumption and better-controlled housing conditions. Based on these results, the study proposed several solutions for pig farms to improve electricity use efficiency, such as shortening the production cycle, increasing stocking density at an appropriate level, and enhancing feed use efficiency.

The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing students' decisions to reuse clothings, using a case study at Vietnam National University of Agriculture, and to propose solutions to promote sustainable disposal behavior among this consumer group. Building upon previous research and employing econometric methods, the authors analyzed factors influencing clothing reuse behavior in situations of physical deterioration and in situations where clothing is in good condition but lacks connection to the users, using a convenient sample size of 1,019 respondents. The results demonstrated that cost savings and students' attitudes towards reuse had a positive impact on the behavior; gender only significantly influenced this decision under conditions of physical deterioration; while environmental concerns and subjective norms were not strong enough to directly influence this behavior

In the context of Vietnam promoting national digital transformation, people's information technology capacity (ITC) is considered the foundation for forming digital citizens and promoting inclusive development. The study aimed to assess the current status of ITC of household members nationwide, thereby proposing solutions to improve digital capacity. Based on data from the Vietnam Household Living Standards Survey 2024, the study analyzed three main components: computer capacity, Internet capacity and information capacity. The results showed that people's ITC was still low and clearly differentiated between urban and rural areas. Most people only possessed basic skills while advanced skills in creativity, productivity and information security were still limited. The digital gap in infrastructure, income and skills continued to be a major challenge in the comprehensive digital transformation process. On that basis, the study proposed policy directions including: expanding digital infrastructure, implementing community information technology skills training, integrating information security education and building a national digital capacity framework to improve people's ITC.

Craft village tourism is a harmonious combination of tourism development and the development of the typical handicrafts of each craft village. his study was conducted to assess the current situation and, on that basis, propose solutions for tourism development in the Phia Den traditional vermicelli craft village, Cao Bang province. The study used SWOT analysis methods, secondary data collection, primary data collection with 36 households and 30 tourists, group discussions with 16 participants, and in-depth interviews with 6 provincial officials related to tourism and craft villages. The results showed that Phia Den traditional vermicelli craft village has great tourism potential, however, tourism activities are still very limited. Based on the assessment results, the authors have proposed five solutions to promote tourism activities in craft villages, including: Building tourism products and promoting links between Phia Den vermicelli producers in the craft village; Connecting and promoting tourism; Building human resources for tourism; Planning and building infrastructure; Improving the quality and perfecting product design of vermicelli products.

The article provides an overview and discussion of key theoretical issues concerning the development of voluntary social insurance an essential pillar within a multi-tiered social security system that contributes to expanding coverage, enhancing social welfare, and ensuring equity for workers, particularly those in the informal sector. The study adopted a systematic literature review approach, combining content and thematic analysis of scientific works both domestically and internationally, to clarify the concepts, roles, characteristics, core components, and factors influencing the development of voluntary social insurance. Findings from the review indicate that the development of voluntary social insurance should not be limited to increasing participant numbers but should be approached comprehensively across multiple dimensions, including the expansion of coverage, financial sustainability, improvement of service quality, and the strengthening of public trust in the system. Promoting voluntary social insurance development requires innovation in governance and implementation mechanisms, digital transformation in public service delivery, and diversification of contribution-benefit options to better align with household economic conditions and the needs of informal workers.