Prospects from pure herbal rice varieties

The quality of life is increasingly improved, the need to use food that is both delicious and good for health is becoming an inevitable trend. Grasping that, the Agricultural Seed Center of Lao Cai province has pioneered a new direction in selecting and creating herbal rice varieties, meeting both nutritional needs and adapting to highland farming conditions. One of the outstanding results of this research direction is the high-quality purebred rice variety LC26.

From 2022 to 2025, Lao Cai Provincial Agricultural Seed Center will implement the project "Research and selection of high-quality rice varieties in the direction of herbal medicine in Lao Cai province". This is a project of great significance in the context of the agricultural sector moving towards green, safe development and improving the nutritional value of products.

LC26 is a purebred rice variety created by the method of sexual hybridization and selected for purity by the pedigree method. The variety can be planted in both crops in a year. The yield of LC26 is highly appreciated: the spring crop reaches 65-84 quintals/ha, the summer crop reaches 62-66 quintals/ha. In the trials at Bat Xat Seed Farm and in the VCU trial program of the National Plant Variety Testing Center in many ecological regions inside and outside the province, LC26 always achieved superior yields compared to the control variety.

Mr. Co Van Ve's family in Nam Can village, Nghia Do commune is one of the households participating in the trial planting of the new rice variety LC26. According to Mr. Ve, the LC26 variety grows and develops well, with few pests and diseases. When harvested, the rice yields quite high, the rice is light pink, fragrant, and sticky when cooked. Knowing that this is a medicinal rice variety, Mr. Ve hopes to expand the area and develop the economy from this crop.

According to Ms. Ha Thuy Hang - Deputy Head of Business Department, Lao Cai Provincial Agricultural Seed Center, after successfully researching the new pure herbal rice variety, the unit has conducted many product quality assessments. Nutritional analysis conducted by the Experimental Biology Center under the Institute of Technology Application (Ministry of Science and Technology) in 2023 showed that LC26 rice has a nutritional composition that is much superior to that of conventional white rice, including many substances and micronutrients that are good for health.

According to Ms. Hang, nowadays, many people tend to reduce the amount of rice in their daily diet. With LC26 rice, the amylose content ranges from 13.63% to 14.05% of dry matter, helping the cooked rice to be moderately sticky, not too sticky and have a low average glycemic index - suitable for dieters, people with diabetes, cardiovascular disease or high blood pressure.

With outstanding nutritional values, LC26 rice not only meets domestic consumption needs but also has the potential to be exported to demanding markets, where consumers increasingly prioritize functional rice products and nutritious rice.

The successful creation of the LC26 rice variety not only marks a step forward in the field of plant variety research but also opens up an effective and sustainable economic development direction for farmers in the northern mountainous region. Compared to traditional rice varieties, the production of the LC26 variety is 35% to 40% more economically efficient due to high yield, fewer pests and diseases, reduced pesticide costs, and higher rice prices thanks to its superior nutritional value.

On December 17, 2024, the LC26 variety was officially recognized for circulation in the Northern midland and mountainous region by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) under Decision No. 608/QD-TT-CLT. This is an important legal basis for localities to proactively include LC26 in the variety structure, replicate production models and move towards developing a chain linking production - processing - product consumption.

With outstanding advantages in terms of productivity, resistance and nutritional value, LC26 is a clear demonstration of the innovative direction in plant variety research - combining science and technology with practical market requirements. The successful development of the LC26 rice variety not only brings economic benefits but is also a step forward in taking care of public health through the choice of healthy, biologically valuable foods. The new rice variety is expected to become one of the key rice varieties, contributing to promoting the development of green, safe and sustainable agriculture in Lao Cai in the coming time.

Performed by: Khanh Ly

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/trien-vong-tu-giong-lua-thuan-thao-duoc-post649899.html