Encouraging households to use quality seed sources is an important solution to improve productivity and reduce the risk of pests and diseases for plantations. Vietnam Forest Certification Office (VFCO) also introduced the indicator “4.2.3. Shall use quality seeds and seedling with clear originals” in the VFCS/PEFC ST 1003:2019 Standards. Within the cooperation with PEFC and the International Woodchip Corporation PTE LTD (IWC), VFCO has supported to establish Acacia hybrid hedge orchard models and provided technical guidance on propagation Acacia hybrid in Nghe An and Quang Binh province.
The selection criteria for support is the cooperatives/households have the desire to produce Acacia hybrid seedlings, however they are lack information about high-quality seedlings for hedge orchard and lack knowledge about breeding techniques and nursery management for of Acacia hybrid. Moreover, they are willingness to receive support to produce Acacia hybrid seedlings with quality and clear origin to sell to households in the region. As a result, Chien Thanh households (Chau Cuong commune, Quy Hop district, Nghe An province) and Ca Xen Youth Agricultural Cooperative (Thanh Hoa commune, Tuyen Hoa district, Quang Binh province) were selected to support. Two models of the Acacia hybrid seedling orchard were built in October 2023 with a scale of 3,000 trees, including clones of BV523, BV434 and BV16; of which BV523 and BV434 are newly technologically advanced varieties recognized by MARD. The Acacia hybrid hedge orchard was provided by the Institute of Forest Tree Improvement and Biotechnology (IFTIB). The cooperative and household are also handed over the seed origin dossiers as a documents for seedling production registration according to current regulations.
After more than 5 months of implementation, the survey showed that the cooperative/household had properly implemented planting, caring and rejuvenation techniques, creating a source of stem cutting which is met technical requirements. VFCO and IFTIB also provide guiding on field for cooperatives/households in implementing propagation techniques such as: selecting stem cuttings, cutting culture, using rooting hormone for cutting culture and caring, management of seedlings in nursery. Members of the cooperative and households have absorbed and practiced well the technical instructions and willingness to provide Acacia hybrid seedlings in next couple of months.
