Đề tài Management of Phytophthora diseases in Vietnamese Horticulture - MS3

Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development CARD Project Progress Report Management of Phytophthora diseases in Vietnamese Horticulture CARD 052/04VIE MS3: SECOND SIX-MONTHLY REPORT January 2006 1 1. Institute Information Project Name Management of Phytophthora Diseases in Vietnamese Horticulture Vietnamese Institution National Institute of Plant Protection, Hanoi Vietnamese Project Team Leader Dr Nguyen Van Tuat Australian Organisation The University of Sydney Australian Personnel Professor David Guest Date commenced April 2005 Completion date (original) December 2006 Completion date (revised) April 2007 Reporting period Second 6-monthly report (12 months) Contact Officer(s) In Australia: Team Leader Name: Professor David Guest Telephone: (02) 9352.3946 Position: Professor of Horticulture Fax: (02) 9351.4172 Organisation The University of Sydney Email: guestd@agric.usyd.edu.au In Australia: Administrative contact Name: Ms Luda Kuchieva Telephone: (02) 9351 7903 Position: Research Grants Administration Officer Fax: (02) 9351 3256 Organisation The University of Sydney Email: luda.kuchieva@usyd.edu.au In Vietnam Name: Dr Nguyen Van Tuat Telephone: +84 4838 5578 Position: Director Fax: +84 4836 3563 Organisation National Institute of Plant Protection Email: tuat@hn.vnn.vn 2. Project Abstract The effective management of Phytophthora diseases in Vietnam is currently limited by the lack of knowledge and understanding at the scientific, extension and farmer levels. This project aims to extend sustainable and effective disease control and management recommendations to a range of horticultural crops throughout Vietnam, thereby improving farmer outcomes by reducing crop losses due to Phytophthora. The second milestone of this CARD project has been completed and relevant activities are described. Extension Training Workshops were held at NIPP-Hanoi, FTRDC-Hue and SOFRI-My Tho in Vietnam in August (NIPP, FRTDC) and October (SOFRI), 2005. Training manuals were distributed to all participants. Farmer trials to develop integrated disease management recommendations, based on the PAR techniques learned during the Training Workshops, have been established in collaboration with staff from the various scientific research institutes. Data from these trials are currently being collected and results from these projects will be discussed at the final workshop in November, 2006. In completing these activities we have met the targets set in the second milestone. 3. Executive Summary The objective of this project is to extend sustainable and effective disease control and management recommendations developed in previous research, to a wide range of horticultural crops throughout Vietnam, thereby reducing crop losses due to Phytophthora diseases and improving smallholder productivity. Following the scientific training workshops held in Vietnam and the subsequent scientific study tour of Australian horticulture sites by Vietnamese scientists, scientific staff in Vietnam were well equipped to transfer disease diagnosis skills and knowledge of management strategies to extension agencies and farmers. This report describes three two-day extension training courses organised by staff at National Institute for Plant Protection (NIPP)-Hanoi, Fruit Tree Research and Development Centre (FTRDC)-Hue and Southern Fruit Research Institute (SOFRI)-My Tho, Vietnam between August and October, 2005. The workshops were attended by 80 staff from extension agencies in 16 Provinces who were trained in integrated disease management strategies. The gender balance of participants was tipped towards males with 32% of participants at all three workshops being female. This pattern was similar to that seen in the first series of scientific training workshops held in June, 2005. Training Manuals, both hardcopies and CDs, were distributed at each workshop. The training manuals were based on the manual developed for the first series of scientific training workshops held in June 2005 with some corrections to the Vietnamese translations of the earlier edition. The manual was well received and provides a comprehensive future reference point for participants. The Extension Training Workshops provided a hands-on approach to diagnosis and management of Phytophthora diseases in Vietnam. Extension staff were trained in pathogen identification, disease diagnosis, disease management and PAR. Lecture sessions introduced participants to a variety of Phytophthora species and the diseases they can cause on a range of plants, the impact of Phytophthora diseases on horticultural crops, the concepts of disease diagnosis, pathogen isolation and identification, disease epidemiology and disease cycles. This knowledge was implemented during field trips to identify diseased plants and collect material for laboratory analysis. In the laboratory participants learnt techniques to isolate Phytophthora from soil and plant material and to identify Phytophthora as the causal organism of the disease. A selection of disease management options were developed to present to farmers as part the extension recommendations and participatory research. On-going support to project staff has been provided by email. To promote awareness of improved farming and disease management practices amongst farmers, Vietnamese scientific and extension staff organised farmer training sessions and on-farm participatory research trials. Over 220 farmers are involved in the PAR trials across the three regions. The trials will be monitored and results discussed at the final project workshop in November 2006. A summary of the extension training workshops and the farmer trials can be found in Appendix I. The information presented in this report addresses the targets required to fulfil the second milestone of CARD project number 052/04/VIE. 4. Introduction & Background The diverse geographic and climatic regions of Vietnam enable the cultivation of a broad range of plants. Tropical fruit trees are concentrated in the northern and southern parts of Vietnam and temperate crops in the northern and central highlands. The range of climatic conditions also provides an ideal climate for Phytophthora species. The genus Phytophthora is responsible for extensive economic damage in a wide range of horticultural crops throughout the country, resulting in large reductions in yield and significant economical losses. Information on the occurrence and distribution of Phytophthora species present in Vietnam, disease transmission and progression, and suitable control methods is limited. Expertise in the diagnosis and management of Phytophthora diseases, including appropriate quarantine procedures, is also poor. A strategic approach to the future study and control of Phytophthora diseases is needed. This project aims to improve smallholder productivity and alleviate poverty, especially in the Mekong and Central Coast regions by improving the skills of relevant scientific and extension staff and their capacity to implement disease management recommendations with farmers. This project focuses on local disease problems identified by informal surveys and smallholder demand. In the south, the priority crops were identified as pineapple, citrus, and black pepper, while citrus, black pepper and rubber will be the main focus in the centre, and litchi, tomato and potato in the north. The Australian and Vietnamese project team will run a series of workshops and supervise short on-farm research projects. Our workshops aim to fill the current gaps in knowledge of Phytophthora diseases at all levels in Vietnamese horticulture. Scientific workshops at each site will involve staff of the three collaborating institutes as well as relevant staff from universities. These workshops will focus on the biology of Phytophthora, the diseases it causes, and potential management practices. Staff will be trained in diagnosis at the field and laboratory levels. The hands-on training workshops will contribute to capacity building in the research and extension institutes involved. Scientific staff will then be equipped to transfer diagnostic skills and Phytophthora disease management strategies to extension agencies and farmers. The first Scientific Training workshops were held at the National Institute for Plant Protection (NIPP)-Hanoi, Fruit Tree Research Development Centre (FTRDC)-Hue and Southern Fruit Research Institute (SOFRI)-My Tho in June 2005 and were discussed in the first six-monthly project progress report. The final training Scientific Training Workshop to be organised by the Australian partners is scheduled for November 2006. The second level of workshop will focus on symptom recognition and the application of integrated management to smallholder farmers. Between August and October, 2005 Vietnamese scientific staff from each of the three institutes ran workshops for Provincial Plant Protection Sub-Division (PPSD) staff, who will then supervise participatory research and other extension activities involving smallholder farmers. The crops identified above will form the basis of the research extension activities. The Australian partners will support research and extension staff in the development of integrated disease management strategies for each crop in each region, the design and implementation of Phytophthora training workshops for provincial PPSD extension workers in each region and the design and implementation of PAR and other extension activities involving PPSD staff and smallholders. Results from the PAR trials will be presented at the final workshop in November 2006. The third level of training in Vietnam will disseminate the results to smallholders in 5 provinces in each region through Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodologies learned during this and previous projects. Farmers will be offered a range of farm management strategies and will be supported in their implementation of the chosen strategy. These farm-trials have been established and Australian collaborators will visit a selection of the farms in February 2006. The farmers involved in the PAR will become a focus for future extension activities. Selected scientific staff will also be given an opportunity to undertake a study tour to Australia where they will learn about nursery best practice and orchard management, as well as advanced techniques in pathogen identification and research training. Two scientists (Mrs Nguyen Thi Ly (NIPP) and Dr Nguyen Van Hoa (SOFRI)) visited Australia in July 2005 to participate in a training and study tour to examine nursery best practice and horticultural production in southern Queensland, and for further training in Phytophthora diagnostics. Mr Doan Nhan Ai (FTRDC) will visit Australia in July 2006. This aims to maximise long-term benefits to each institution by building institutional capacity by exposing Vietnamese scientists to Australian horticultural practices and build relations between Australian and Vietnamese scientists. 5. Progress to Date 5.1 Implementation Highlights A detailed implementation of the project progress to date is provided in the attached Progress Report Logframe. The second milestone has been reached with the following targets implemented: 1. Visit by two Vietnamese scientists (Mrs Nguyen Thi Ly from NIPP, Hanoi, and Dr Nguyen Van Hoa from SOFRI, My Tho) to Australia in July, 2005. Mr Doan Nhan Ai from FTRDC did not receive his visa in time to travel and will visit Australia in July 2006. 2. Completion of extension training workshops by Vietnamese institutional staff at NIPP-Hanoi, FTRDC-Hue and SOFRI-My Tho. A total of 80 extension personnel participated in the workshops. The actual target 75 participants. 3. Distribution of training manuals to participants of the Extension Training Workshops. 4. Establishment of farmer trials and PAR in each of the three regions (north, central, south). Over 220 farmers from 16 provinces are involved in the farmer training and PAR. Details of the participating farmers and research projects from SOFRI were not received in time to be included in this report. 5. Promotion of awareness of pathogens, disease and disease management strategies amongst farmers through establishment of PAR trials and extension activities. 5.2 Capacity Building 1. Scientific study tour of Australia The study tour conducted in July 2005 exposed the Vietnamese scientists to nursery and horticultural production best practice techniques as well as techniques in pathogen identification and research training. Scientific staff will then be equipped to transfer diagnostic skills and Phytophthora disease management strategies to extension agencies through extension workshops and farmer training programs. Study tour reports from Mrs Nguyen Thi Ly and Dr Nguyen Van Hoa are attached in Appendix II. 2. Extension Training Workshops The Extension Training Workshops in this project aim to fill the current gaps in knowledge of Phytophthora diseases at all levels in Vietnamese horticulture. Hands-on Extension Training Workshops were held at NIPP, FTRDC and SOFRI between August and October, 2005 and included a total of 80 staff from Provincial Plant Protection Sub- Division (PPSD) (Appendix III). The Extension Training Workshops focused on the recognition of disease symptoms and the application of sustainable and effective integrated management strategies. A comprehensive training manual based on that developed for the first Scientific Training Workshop was provided to workshop participants as both a hard copy and an electronic copy (CD). The development and distribution of the training manual provide participants with a guide to which they can refer as the need arises. Staff who participated in these training workshops will now supervise participatory research and conduct other extension activities involving smallholder farmers. The crops identified above will form the basis of the research extension activities. The Australian partners will visit PAR sites in February 2006 to support research and extension staff in the design, implementation and monitoring of PAR and other extension activities involving PPSD staff and smallholders. Workshop participants will present the results of their participatory research trials at the final workshop in November 2006. 3. Farmer Participatory Action Research Trials Farmer Participatory Action Research Trials have been established in each of the three regions (Appendix IV) and involves over 220 farmers from 16 provinces. The target set during project conception was 375 participating farmers. While farmer training by SOFRI staff in the south has begun, details of participating farmers and the PAR trials were not available in time to be included in this report. It is anticipated that the number of farmers participating in the trials will be closer to the target of 375 when the participating farmers from the SOFRI trials are included. The trials will be monitored over the final 12 months of the project. Inclusion of on-farm trials and the expansion of extension activities will enable dissemination of knowledge acquired during the workshops to promote awareness of the pathogen, skills in disease diagnosis and improved farm hygiene and disease management strategies. The farmers involved in the PAR will provide a valuable contact for future extension activities. 5.3 Publicity A summary of this CARD project, along with some photos, will shortly be available on the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources website ( 6. Report on Cross-Cutting Issues 6.1 Gender and Social Issues A greater proportion of participants at the extension workshops were male (67.5%) than female (32.5%). This was primarily due to the larger number of males (80% and 73%) attending the workshops in Hue and My Tho. The balance of males and females was more evenly distributed at NIPP in Hanoi. 7. Implementation & Sustainability Issues 7.1 Issues and Constraints Mr Doan Nhan Ai did not receive his visa in time to participate in the scientific tour of Australian horticulture in July 2005. He will participate in a similar tour in July 2006. No other issues were encountered. 7.2 Options The targets of the second milestone have been met. The project is running well and no changes are required. 8. Next Critical Steps The activities that will be undertaken in the next six months are: 1. Scientific training tours of Australia for Mr Ai from FTRDC who did not receive his visa in time to participate in the tour in July 2005. 2. Australian partners to visit Vietnamese farm trial sites in February 2006, meet with Vietnamese team and discuss progress and activities for 2006. 3. Review farmer training and extension activities. 4. Final workshop in November 2006 to discuss outcomes of PAR and farmer trials. 9. Conclusion The objective of this CARD project is to reduce crop losses due to Phytophthora diseases through extension of sustainable and effective disease management recommendations and thereby improve smallholder farmer productivity. Extension training workshops were held at NIPP-Hanoi, FTRDC-Hue and SOFRI-My Tho for 80 staff from provincial extension agencies. The hands-on approach to teaching and learning in the workshops will contribute to capacity building in the extension institutes involved. Extension staff are equipped to transfer Phytophthora disease management strategies to farmers. Knowledge gained from these workshops will also enhance the capacity of extension workers to address future disease risks. To promote awareness of improved farm and disease management practices amongst farmers, a selection of disease management options were developed to present to farmers as part of the extension recommendations. Farmers have been selected to participate in on-farm trials and PAR to actively disseminate the extension information. The results of the farmer trials will be discussed in the final project workshop to be held in November, 2006. In completing these activities we have successfully addressed the second milestone.