Vol. 9 No. 1 (2026): Vietnam Journal of Agricultural Sciences

The demand for glutinous rice for exporting encourages the breeding of new hybrid glutinous rice lines to meet the needed yield. Waxy-TGMS lines are principle materials to develop glutinous two-line hybrid rice, but have not been developed in Vietnam. This paper shows the selection of homozygous waxy-TGMS plants with advantageous agronomic traits from F2 segregating populations to develop promising waxy-TGMS breeding lines. More than 3000 individuals from three F2 populations derived from the crosses between non-waxy TGMS lines (tms5 gene donor) and glutinous rice varieties (wx gene donor) were screened to picked up only 10 homozygous waxy-TGMS plants (tms5/tms5 wx/wx) with desired agronomic characters. F3 seeds harvested from 10 desired F2 individuals all had low amylose content like their waxy male parent variety and could be used to develop further into ten waxy-TGMS breeding lines.

This study investigated the effects of banana peel powder (BPP) on the growth performance, intestinal morphology, carcass yield, and meat quality of broilers. A total of 126 one-day-old chicks were randomly assigned to three dietary treatments: control (BPP0, corn–soybean basal diet), BPP7 (7% banana peel), and BPP10 (10% banana peel), with three replicates of 14 birds each, and reared for 35 days. The survival rate was not significantly different among the groups (P > 0.05), although BPP10 showed the highest value (96.97%). The inclusion of 7% and 10% BPP in the diets did not significantly affect the initial weight, average daily gain, feed intake, or feed conversion ratio (P > 0.05). However, broilers fed the 10% BPP diet showed numerically higher final weight and weight gain values, with both parameters reaching statistical significance (P = 0.05). No statistically significant differences were observed in the villus height, crypt depth, or villus height to crypt depth ratio. The carcass traits were not influenced by diet (P > 0.05). However, several meat quality traits were significantly affected (P <0.05). In the thigh meat, yellowness (b*) decreased in BPP7 and BPP10. In the breast meat, lightness (L*) increased and yellowness (b*) decreased with banana peel inclusion (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the inclusion of 10% banana peel powder tended to enhance growth and altered the meat color without adverse effects on the FCR or carcass yield, supporting its potential as a sustainable feed ingredient in broiler production.

Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) for rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) have been widely implemented worldwide. However, their adoption in Vietnam has occurred only over the past decade and remains limited due to several operational challenges. Among these, disease management is particularly difficult because chemical treatments can disrupt the microbial community within the biofilter. This study assessed the effectiveness of a low-dose formalin treatment for controlling Gyrodactylus sp. infection in rainbow trout reared in a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS). During a mortality episode associated with Gyrodactylus sp. infestation, formalin was applied at concentrations of 15-20ppm for 10h per day over three consecutive days. Water-quality parameters, parasite infection intensity, and fish mortality were systematically monitored throughout each treatment period. The results indicated that after three days of treatment, fish mortality significantly decreased, while parasite infection dropped 95.3-96.7%. The results also revealed fluctuations in water quality parameters, including temporary increases in COD, N-NH₄⁺, and N-NO₂⁻ concentrations, associated with a decline in nitrifying microbial activity. Nevertheless, these changes remained within acceptable limits and did not cause severe system disruption. The findings demonstrate that low-dose formalin treatments effectively reduce mortality in infected rainbow trout without severely impairing the beneficial microbial community in RAS.

Vietnam’s favorable geographical location and climate have endowed it with a prosperous and diverse system of medicinal plants. However, illegal and unsustainable harvesting of these plants in natural forests has led to their depletion and endangerment. Ba Vi commune, located in the buffer zone of Ba Vi National Park, is home to the Dao people, who have long preserved and developed traditional medicine. This study utilized face-to-face interviews with 50 households, in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, and group discussions to assess the potential for household-based conservation of medicinal plants in Ba Vi commune. The findings revealed that over 200 medicinal plants species are exploited and used by the Dao people, including rare species such as Stephania dielsiana C. Y. Wu and Asarum glabrum Merr., among others. Despite strict legal prohibitions against exploiting forest resources in the core zone of Ba Vi National Park, 40% of interviewed households admitted to collecting medicinal plants from these protected areas. To mitigate this, the Dao people living in the buffer zone of Ba Vi National Park have been encouraged to cultivate medicinal plants to meet the demand for traditional medicine, reduce pressure on natural forests, and improve their livelihoods. However, the medicinal plant cultivation areas are currently small and fragmented. The lack of arable land, suitable plant varieties, and cultivation techniques have been considered as obstacles to expanding medicinal plant cultivation areas in the study site. Addressing these obstacles is crucial for ensuring the sustainability of the Dao community’s traditional medicine practices.

This study aimed to investigate the phytochemical composition and biological activities of Ficus racemosa bark. To achieve this, extracts were prepared using various solvents (acetone, hexane, methanol, ethanol, and aqueous mixtures) and subsequently evaluated for their antioxidant, enzyme inhibitory, and anti-inflammatory properties. The presence of bioactive compounds, including glycosides, steroids, tannins, polyphenols, and flavonoids was analyzed. Antioxidant potential was assessed via the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging and ferric reducing power assays. In the DPPH assay, the IC50 values ranged from 5.55 to 9.89 mg L-1, with the ethanol extract (S4) showing the lowest IC50 (5.55 mg L-1), surpassing vitamin C (IC50 = 6.18 mg L-1). The ferric reducing power assay indicated that the methanol extract (S2) exhibited the highest antioxidant capacity with an EC50 of 7.59 mg L-1, 3.5 times lower than that of the butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) standard (26.82 mg L-1). In vitro α-glucosidase inhibition assays revealed that all the extracts effectively suppressed enzyme activity, with IC50 values from 0.049 mg L-1 (S4) to 0.66 mg L-1 (S1), significantly lower than acarbose (IC50 = 156.16 mg L-1). Additionally, the extracts markedly reduced nitric oxide production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages (Lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophage cell line 264.7), with IC50 values between 62.08 and 182.47 µg.mL-1, compared to the positive control Nᴳ-Monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA) (IC50 = 11.91 µg.mL-1). These findings highlight the potent antioxidant, anti-diabetic, and anti-inflammatory properties of F. racemosa bark extracts, supporting their potential as natural therapeutic agents

The present research was carried out to study genetic variability in 5×5 half diallel F2 populations of boro rice. The F2 populations of 10 bi-parental crosses, viz. P1 × P2, P1 × P3, P1 × P4, P1 × P5, P2 × P3, P2 × P4, P2 × P5, P3 × P4, P3 × P5, and P4 × P5, were evaluated, along with their parents, for grain yield and related characters. Significant variance revealed a wide range of genetic variability among the segregating progenies and parental genotypes for all the studied traits except grain breadth. The genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) was smaller than the phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) for all the traits except the grain length-breadth ratio. Grain length exhibited high heritability (96.021%) and high genetic advance (22.137%), followed by the grain length-to-breadth ratio (95.308% and 40.7%), and 1000-grain weight (71.96% and 25.32%), respectively. Broader genetic variability for the genotypes was revealed based on boxplot analyses. The F2 family P3×P4 showed the maximum transgressive segregation for the number filled grains per panicle and 1000-grain weight followed by P3×P5.

Consumer demand for safe food has been shaping the development of pork value chains, influenced by consumer knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) and trust in the value chain, among other factors. This study aimed to explore consumer KAP and trust regarding food safety across different pork value chains in Vietnam. Data were collected through interviews with 170 consumers from Hanoi, Hung Yen, and Nghe An provinces. The results showed misconceptions about food safety in all three of the prevalent types of pork value chains, particularly low awareness of microbial contamination and heightened concerns over chemical residues. Many consumers demonstrated appropriate attitudes towards foodborne illness and reported applying good hygiene practices at home, although these practices varied among value chains, especially the rural GAHP value chain. Consumers overall reported low trust in the value chain actors, especially the modern and urban traditional value chains. Pig producers and government authorities were highly ranked as primary responsibility for food safety. Among communication channels, higher trust was placed in television news from the government. To improve food safety in pork value chains, the actors should focus on product differentiation, such as signaling good agricultural practices and organizing shorter, traceable value chains through cooperative models. The government could support these developments by implementing effective communication, and education and training programs on food safety for consumers and all value chain actors.

The study aimed to analyze the factors influencing the acceptance of 1C software in SMEs in the former Thai Binh city. A quantitative research approach was employed, involving 166 samples collected through direct surveying. After data collection and processing, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), hypothesis testing based on the research model using structural equation modeling (SEM), and multi-group analysis were conducted with SPSS 20.0 and AMOS 24 software. To enhance analytical robustness, a multi-group structural analysis was employed to assess whether the effects of different factors varied between SMEs that have already adopted the software and those that have not. The results revealed that acceptance was influenced by seven determinants, among which accounting staff competence, technological infrastructure, and perceived ease of use exerted the most significant influence. Conversely, risk perception was identified as a key barrier to adoption in SMEs that have not yet implemented the software. Based on these findings, the study proposes the following solutions: (1) enhancing the qualifications and technological capabilities of accounting staff; (2) investing in and improving technological infrastructure; (3) increasing awareness of the software’s ease of use; (4) raising awareness of its usefulness, legal compliance, and risk mitigation; and (5) optimizing investment costs.

The carbon market has experienced significant growth, particularly since the Paris Agreement in 2015. Currently, there are 80 active carbon markets worldwide, with a total value exceeding USD 100 billion and covering 28% of the world's total carbon emissions. This trend presents a substantial opportunity for carbon credits in general and Vietnam’s agricultural sectors specifically. This study aimed to provide an overview of the development of the global carbon market and draw lessons learned for the development of the carbon market in Vietnam. Despite having significant carbon credit potential, including 57 million credits from agriculture and 40-70 million credits from forest carbon sequestration, Vietnam's economic benefits from carbon trading are limited due to the lack of a formal carbon trading market. Carbon credits from Vietnam's forests have been traded, primarily through voluntary markets, with transactions and funding largely derived from donors. Developing Vietnam's formal carbon market faces many challenges, including an incomplete legal framework; a lack of methods and standards for measuring, monitoring, and verifying credits; limited production systems that simultaneously generate agricultural products and carbon credits; and insufficient financial resources and specialized human capital throughout the process from production to carbon market transactions. This paper recommends the establishment of a comprehensive carbon market, including a robust legal framework that enables both domestic and international transactions, alongside capacity building and research to develop processes from carbon credit production to market trading.

Digital transformation in the management of agricultural cooperatives has emerged as a strategic solution to enhance operational efficiency, transparency, and competitiveness in the era of agriculture 4.0. This paper develops an analytical framework grounded in established theories, including the technology - organization - environment framework, to identify the key factors influencing digital transformation. These include the technological infrastructure, enabling institutional frameworks, human resource capacity, market-driven imperatives, and organizational digital readiness. Based on this framework, the study proposes a five-stage digital transformation roadmap, ranging from basic data digitization to the integration of intelligent management. The findings suggest that small-scale cooperatives should start with low-cost technologies such as Excel and basic accounting software; mid-sized cooperatives can adopt e-commerce platforms and product traceability systems; and leading cooperatives may incorporate advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain. Some policy implications are proposed to improve the digital transformation process in cooperative management.

This review aimed to analyze the status of biochar research in the Philippines over the past twenty years (2004-2024) in order to provide direction for future research. The bibliometric analysis of 215 publications from Scopus and Google Scholar using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) showed that the trends in biochar research in the Philippines are increasing for various uses. However, collaborations, the number of researchers, and other problems related to funding, policies, markets, and human factors need to be addressed to advance biochar research in the country. The current thematic clusters include identifying suitable biomass sources for pyrolysis, exploring the adsorptive properties of biochar in the environment, and utilizing it as a carrier for arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). However, the limited clusters imply fewer applications, indicating the potential for biochar to expand into various other utilizations. In addition, the economic return has not been thoroughly studied, which affects the adoption of technology by end users. Chronologically, biochar has been observed shifting from identifying potential biomass sources to a more field-specific utilization, which suggests advancements in biochar research, although further exploration is recommended.