Can Tho farmers increase rice yields with new seeding method
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In Can Tho, Vietnam, rice farmers in four communes are increasingly using mechanized direct seeded rice (mDSR) thanks to the FerRight project.
Fewer than one percent of farmers used mDSR when the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) funded project began working with them. A recent survey showed that 18% of farmers now use the method, a rise from 0.7% in 2023. The FerRight project, implemented by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), promotes mDSR alongside fertilizer deep placement.
This method uses specialized seeders to plant seeds and deliver nutrients directly to the plant roots. Field trials conducted with the Cuu Long Rice Research Institute (CLRRI) from 2024 to 2026 demonstrate that mDSR reduces seed use by at least 50% and nitrogen fertilizer use by at least 20%. Farmers who adopted mDSR saw increased yields compared to those using traditional methods. mDSR fields produced 6.81 tons of rice per hectare, while traditionally seeded fields yielded 6.67 tons per hectare.
Additionally, mDSR farmers experienced a 2.7% increase in net income per hectare and improved nitrogen-use efficiency.
