Every sowing season starts with a familiar question: which variety this year? Huong Thuan 8 is one of the two rice varieties Minh Tâm supplies, alongside Nep DT52 glutinous rice. This article gathers what has been published about the variety, from its origin, traits and grain quality to its results in demonstration plots, to give farmers a sounder basis for choosing.
Origin: almost ten years of breeding and testing
According to Báo Nghệ An, Huong Thuan 8 was bred by the Nghệ An Crop Seed Centre from the 2011 main crop to the 2015 spring crop. From the 2015 to the 2019 summer–autumn and main crops it went through basic testing, production testing and trial production in the northern provinces. On 1 April 2020 the Department of Crop Production officially recognised it under Decision No. 61/QĐ-TT-CLT.
Agronomic traits
Short duration: according to the variety's technical sheet, about 125–130 days in the spring crop and 100–105 days in the summer–autumn and main crops. Actual duration varies by region and season: 116–124 days in the Nghệ An demonstration in spring 2020, and 134 days in Hà Tĩnh in spring 2022.
Good tillering, large panicles: in the Nghệ An demonstration, panicles carried about 162 grains, with 20.5% unfilled grains, lower than the control variety.
Sturdy stems: good lodging resistance and suited to intensive growing.
Pests and diseases: fairly free of pests and diseases; in the demonstrations it showed only light leaf blast and sheath blight.
Broad adaptation: Báo Nghệ An described the variety as widely adaptable and tolerant of adverse conditions.
Grain quality
According to the technical sheet, Huong Thuan 8 rice is translucent with little chalkiness and a high milling recovery, and has a low amylose content (13.3%); the cooked rice is soft and slightly sticky, with a mild aroma and a rich taste. Báo Nghệ An likewise describes clear, long and slender grains.
Results from demonstration plots
| Province, season | Scale | Duration | Yield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nghệ An, spring 2020 | 58 ha in 10 districts | 116–124 days | expected close to 7 t/ha |
| Thái Nguyên, spring 2021 | 20 ha | – | 7.04 t/ha, 0.6 t/ha more than the Khang dân control |
| Hà Tĩnh (Đức Thọ), spring 2022 | 1.5 ha | 134 days | estimated 6.4 t/ha |
The technical sheet gives reference yields of 6.5–7 t/ha in the spring crop (over 7–7.5 t/ha under intensive management) and 5.7–6.3 t/ha in the summer–autumn and main crops. These figures come from demonstrations and variety literature at different times and places; they are not promised yields. Actual yields depend on the soil, the weather, plant density and crop care.
What did each province look at?
Nghệ An (spring 2020): the variety went into trial production on 58 ha in 10 districts; Yên Thành district alone had 33 ha, most of it (30 ha) in Tăng Thành commune, where a field workshop was held.
Thái Nguyên (spring 2021): a 20 ha model in Nà Táp hamlet. Báo Thái Nguyên described the variety as short-duration, suited to late spring, early main-season and mid main-season planting, and leaving room for a third crop in intensive multi-cropping.
Hà Tĩnh (spring 2022): Báo Hà Tĩnh judged the variety suited to the province's spring-crop schedule, and Đức Thọ district continued trial production.
Minh Tâm's Huong Thuan 8 seed
Certified seed (Xác nhận 1 grade) under national standard QCVN 01-54:2011/BNNPTNT.
Limits printed on the bag: purity ≥ 99.0%; other-variety seeds ≤ 0.3%; germination ≥ 80%; moisture ≤ 13.5%.
10 kg bags; shelf life 1 year from the date of production.
Processed at the Minh Tâm Fertiliser and Seed Processing Factory, Lot A2, Quế Cường Industrial Cluster, Quế Sơn Trung Commune, Đà Nẵng.
Growing instructions: follow the instructions placed inside the seed bag.
Advice for growers in central Vietnam
Most of the figures above come from the northern and north-central provinces. In Đà Nẵng and other central provinces, duration and yield may differ. Before sowing, ask Minh Tâm's field staff about planting dates, seeding rates and a fertiliser plan suited to your fields.
See the details on the Huong Thuan 8 rice page and our rice fertiliser guide. To order seed or for advice, get in touch through the Contact page or call the hotline on 0812 492 555.
Sources: Báo Nghệ An, 7 May 2020; Nghệ An Agricultural Seed Centre (variety page, in Vietnamese); Báo Thái Nguyên, 8 June 2021; Báo Hà Tĩnh, 13 May 2022 (read the article, in Vietnamese); Minh Tâm seed bag.
