Improving rice productivity under water constraints in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

摘要

The problems/constraints affecting rice production in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam vary across ecosystems and the solutions therefore vary. Research needs to address the particular problems of each ecosystem. The aims of this study of production relationships include: (1) the identification of controllable and uncontrollable factors of production that significantly affect yield, and (2) the rice varietal improvement to abiotic stress. Vietnam has a relative advantage in having highly irrigated areas for rice production. In the 1980s the irrigated area expanded by 2.9% annually, and during the 1990s this growth rate was 4.6% annually. During the 1990s, investment in irrigation has increased from 1538 billion VND to 2506 billion VND. It was estimated that irrigated rice land has increased from 40% to 90%. For the Mekong Delta, this rate is around 70% while the lowest belongs to the High Plateau and north-eastern south. Drought and salinity are now considered as more important than flood damage to rice productivity in the Mekong Delta, due to having a flood-escaping strategy and using short duration genotypes before and after flood. Therefore, attention is being paid to rice breeding to improve rice productivity under salt stress and drought at the seedling stage.