According to scientists, the reason farming has to use Neonicotinoids is to combat the many predators that are ready to pounce on corn or soybean seeds, every time they are sown in the ground. Seeds are impregnated with drugs before sowing. Photo: Scientific Beekeeping What are neonicotinoids? Neonicotinoid has been banned for use in Australia and Europe since 2013. This is a pesticide derived from nicotine (the addictive substance found in tobacco), the way to use is to dissolve in water and spray on plants. for the plants to absorb themselves, forming an artificial “immune system” to protect the crops. Neoincotinoids are thought to be effective against pests and insects, but are safe for mammals. However, because of its strong effect on insects, it also affects bees directly, reducing the number of pollinators. This pesticide is said to reduce the sperm count of male bees by up to 40%, as well as reduce their lifespan from an average of 22 days to 15 days, thus reducing the chances of male bees fertilizing the queen bee. also decreased. Besides disease, soil-dwelling pests such as helminths and larvae can also damage seeds and seedlings, along with terrestrial insects such as bean leaf beetles and aphids. seeds and saplings. Therefore, in the field of seed treatment against insects and diseases, farmers often treat seeds in combination with fungicides (IST) to help plants sprout straight and grow early. It is easy to mention some of the popular Neonicotinoid IST methods such as Imidacloprid (Gaucho, Bayer Crop Science), Clothianidin (Poncho, BASF) and Thiamethoxam (Cruiser, Syngenta)… Seth Naeve, an agronomist specializing in soybean research at the University of Minnesota Extension (USA), said that Neonicotinoid insecticides are highly water-soluble, helping to activate protection from insects. Great early season. Shawn Potter, Syngenta’s head of seed care product marketing, said that the growth of the seeds after treatment was driven in part by previous seasons. “Early seeding from a wet, cool, or both, seeds and seedlings will be exposed to various diseases. “Without seed treatment, crops could be damaged early on,” said Mr Potter. Nick Tinsley, BASF technical specialist, added: “Farmers and retailers alike can easily treat corn and soybean seeds with Neonicotinoid insecticides as well as fungicides from the company. producers to protect crops”. For decades, seed companies have treated corn with fungicides. However, IST only started to be added to the fungicide seed treatment of soybeans in the early 2000s. Studies have demonstrated that a combination of seed treatment with both fungicides and insecticides increases soybean yield per acre by 2 bushels (equivalent to 72.74 kg/0.4 ha). According to Mr. Potter, in general, each “shift” of treating soybean pest/mushroom combos will cost from 10 to 12 USD per seed unit (ranging from 80,000 to 140,000 seeds/0.4 ha). That’s because 70% of treatment costs go to pesticides, while the profit-taking rate per acre is between $16 and $17. This assumes that soybeans cost $12 per bushel and that the cost of the pesticide seed treatment is between $7 and $7.50 per seed unit. Entomologists in the Midwest and South America have also observed that the average soybean yield spike of 2 bushels per acre from this combination. “Some years are higher, some years are lower,” says Sebe Brown, an entomologist at the University of Louisiana. Responses tended to be higher in cases where soybeans were planted early, two crops, or planted after a cover crop.” Gus Lorenz, a scientist at the University of Arkansas, adds: “Companies have provided growers with insurance to maintain good standing. At current seed prices, the cost of treating seeds with pesticides is a good investment.” A synthesis of studies in a 2019 report representing agronomists and entomologists from 14 universities found that the best recorded soybean yield was an increase of 3.3 bushels per acre. after using the combined seed treatment solution. However, in some cases in Minnesota, the benefits are so small that it is argued that farmers should not be encouraged to use seed treatments or should apply them selectively. Concerns Previously, scientists believed that neonicotinoid pesticides were the main cause of the decline in bee populations and pollinators worldwide. A few years ago, the United Nations published alarming figures: In the first 10 years of the 21st century, the number of bees in the world has decreased by 85% in the Middle East, about 30% in the US and Europe. Neonicotinoids are likened to “birth control pills” for bees and reduce the population of bees. Photo: GCM Bees are the intermediate species that help pollinate more than 75% of the world’s food and fruit crops, so a decrease in the number of bees also means a reduced crop or even a crop failure. However, long-term studies by Syngenta suggest that the health effects of bees are negligible when using Neonicotinoid seed treatments to kill insects. According to Mr. Potter, what many experts agree on is that the health of bees depends on the interaction of factors such as parasites, disease, nutritional health and weather phenomena. A 2019 study published in the journal Scientific Reports detailed the effects that imidacloprid had on white-tailed deer. When imidacloprid (an insecticide that acts as an insect CNS toxin, belonging to the genus Neonicotinoids) was increased in the animal’s spleen, factors such as progeny viability, length of jawbone, body weight and visceral weight all decreased. Records show that at least 60% of white-tailed deer killed indicate the presence of Imidacloprid. According to expert Jonathan Lundgren, all insecticides can negatively impact mammals and bees. “The use of insecticides is so widespread these days that they are present in almost every growing system across the United States and are truly binding. These insecticides are affecting ecosystems in ways that we could not have foreseen.” Meanwhile, the companies that manufacture and trade in Neonicotinoid seed treatments have always denied this and asserted that “the products are safe if used according to the instructions on the label”. Compounds such as polymers coat the seeds or products like Bayer Fluency Agent Advanced to help prevent release into the environment, said Chip Graham, Bayer Crop Science’s North American director of seed development. “Initially we had really low dust levels, but these products ensure that pesticides remain on the seeds and reduce contamination levels during the growing process,” said Mr. What is the future of farming? Instead of treating seeds with neonicotinoid insecticides, Mr. Lundgren called for regenerative methods, such as tilling and changing seasons, increasing crop diversity as well as reducing pest pressure. bugs, insects. “Farmers need to understand that these seed treatments really don’t help them much,” said Lundgren. Neonicotinoid pesticides are believed to reduce bee pollinators, threatening food security. Photo: TN Meanwhile, expert Graham said that banning this seed treatment would be detrimental to farmers because “there are currently no foliar sprays to treat early-season insects as a rescue application”, so ” Seed treatment in this way is most effective to provide activity against early-season pests of maize and soybean.” Agronomist Naeve said: “They’re a good example of how the best tools we’ve ever had in agriculture, but it’s not a good idea to treat the entire soybean acreage. They can be a double-edged sword.”

Mr. Vien Long Binh was still diligently researching hybrid rice until the last days of his life. Photo: CNS. The following article by Christina Jiang- a Chinese international student studying in the UK about the merits of professor-academician Yuan Longping, was published in 2019 in the newspaper. The Oxford Scientist. Jiang wrote: A few weeks ago, on October 1, 2019, something quite strange happened in my house: Our whole family had dinner next to the TV screen! It was the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, in 1949, after years of conflict and political instability. While we were reviewing the parade that morning and the gala dinner that lasted until midnight, my parents and grandparents started talking about Chinese history and culture. In 1973, Mr. Vien Long Binh was the first to develop hybrid rice and achieved hybrid dominance in rice. Hybrid dominance is where progeny hybrids of two different parents are produced with difficulty but are more productive and grow faster. The conversation eventually turned to the Chinese, especially scientists, who are quite famous at home, but barely known abroad. I felt very ashamed when I realized that out of all the names they were mentioning, I didn’t recognize any though sure, I had vaguely heard of them but couldn’t remember any. what. The great merit of agronomist Vien Long Binh helped the once-poor and most populous country in the world overcome hunger. Photo: CRI. The conversation continued until everyone talked about a special man: Vien Long Binh. Again, I don’t know what he did, but after listening and learning more about him, I understand why the people of this country respect him so much. When you start thinking about scientists, what do you usually think of? For me, those are big fields like physics, chemistry or medicine. And Mr. Vien here works in an industry that I didn’t even realize was considered science. He is an agronomist, a scientist active in the field of agriculture. Whether he did not cure a rare disease or discover fundamental truths about the universe, I think what he has achieved is equally important. Due to the self-pollinating nature of rice plants, hybridization is considered impossible because self-pollinating species have to undergo a long process of selection. Thus, all the inferior traits are removed and only the superior ones are left, which is detrimental to hybridization. But Mr. Vien Long Binh proved this wrong. He used a male sterile wild rice variety and produced a rice that was up to 20% more productive. Since then, its productivity has continuously increased. Currently, 50% of rice in China comes from agronomist Vien Long Binh’s hybrid varieties and produces 60% of the country’s total rice production. An estimated 300 billion kilograms of the rice varieties created by Mr. Vien have been planted in the past 20 years, and its yield growth alone is more than enough to feed an additional 60 million people. “Father of hybrid rice” Vien Long Binh cut his hair at a familiar salon in Trường Sa, Hunan province. Photo: Global Times. Those who have been interested in China’s long history of development will see why the topic of hybrid rice has attracted so much attention and become such a big deal. And that is also what prompted Mr. Yuan Longping to embark on his research career in response to one of the greatest disasters of the 20th century, the greatest famine in China. The disaster that left at least 36 million people starved to death began in 1959, when the Great Leap Forward was unleashed with misguided policies and natural disasters, leading to a food shortage crisis. on a nationwide scale. Although he has been working and producing results since the 1970s, it is only in the past 20 years that Mr. Vien Long Binh’s efforts have been recognized to a higher level. He was awarded the World Food Prize in 2004 and the Confucius Peace Prize in 2012. In 2019, at the age of 89, he continued to work, devoting his life to developing rice with higher yields and more difficult growing conditions. There are varieties that can grow in very arid conditions in Africa and may even one day grow in salt water. Hybrid rice varieties have since been grown in many countries in Africa, the Americas and Asia, providing food for areas at risk of famine. Because of his contribution, Mr. Vien was dubbed the “Father of Hybrid Rice” by the Chinese media. In the world’s most populous country, there are now at least four famous landmarks and a university named after him. Professor-academician Yuan Longping born on September 7, 1930 is a famous Chinese agronomist, known for creating the first hybrid rice varieties in the 70s of the last century. He won the China Preeminent Science and Technology Prize in 2000, the Agriculture Prize and the 2004 World Food Prize. Before his death, he was still the leader of the China National Hybrid Rice Research and Development Center. He is also a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a former associate of the US National Academy of Sciences. Mr. Vien Long Binh also served as chief advisor to FAO in 1991.

A stream of Chinese people wearing raincoats stood on both sides of the road while a convoy carried the body of Yuan Longping from the hospital to the funeral home in Trường Sa, Hunan province on May 22. Photo: Xinhua Special Citizens The passing of Mr. Yuan Longping – a special citizen of China in the early afternoon yesterday (May 22, 2021) attracted the attention of the world’s media because he was the father of various breeds. hybrid rice with high yield, contributing to feed nearly 1/5 of the world’s population and making a great contribution to global food security. Mr. Yuan Longping was awarded the highest honor of the Republic of China. He was also the one who lit the torch to open the 2008 Beijing Olympic event. Photo: Chinadaily Sheet The Straits Times of Singapore writes: Today how to feed more than 1.4 billion mouths in the world’s second-largest economy remains a major task for Chinese policymakers. Especially in light of consumer demand for more foods and global tensions impacting grain trade. At the end of last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping still called on the country to maintain the “sense of a crisis in food security”, and asked local governments to launch related campaigns and campaigns. Restaurants increase penalties for food waste. By 2020, the hybrid rice developed by Mr. Vien Long Binh’s team continues to break records, reaching 1,500 kg/mu (about 22.5 tons/ha) in two growing seasons, marking a new world record. According to the sheet Washington Post, Worldwide, one-fifth of the total rice yield today comes from varieties created by the father of hybrid rice Vien Long Binh. In June 2020, Mr. Vien’s research team embarked on a trial planting of hybrid rice in a field 2,800 meters above sea level in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, northwest China. The last time agronomist Vien Long Binh appeared in the field was in March of this year when he went to check the field of hybrid rice in Hainan Island and he was repeatedly hospitalized until his death yesterday. . Honoring the people who are attached to rice all their lives Associated Xinhua News Agency Beijing may fly its flag at half-mast to honor Mr. Yuan’s great contributions to Chinese agriculture. Previously, on September 29, 2019, just before the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Mr. Yuan was awarded the “Order of the Republic”, the highest honor in the country. country for its outstanding contribution to the food security, agriculture of China, as well as the world. Young Chinese people holding flowers wait in line to reserve the place where Mr. Vien Long Binh’s funeral will be held. Photo: Xinhua Mr. Yuan Longping was born in 1930 in Beijing, graduated from Southwest Agricultural College in 1953. Not long after a severe nationwide famine in the 1960s, the young scientist was determined to research how to increase the production of rice, a staple food for more than 60% of the Chinese people. And then he began a special lifelong relationship with rice. Mr. Vien Long Binh has achieved many achievements in research and production of the world’s first high-yielding hybrid rice varieties since 1973, which can achieve yields above 500 kg/mu (about 0.067 ha), compared to with the previous only 300 kg/mu. Over the next four decades, Mr. Vien led his students to continue researching and developing hybrid rice varieties with increasing yields. In 1996, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China officially established the breeding program of super hybrid rice. And just four years later, the first phase of the target reached 10.5 tons/ha. This record was broken three more times when it increased to 12 tons in 2004, 13.5 tons in 2011 and 15 tons/ha in 2014. Not only stopping at mainland China, Mr. Vien’s hybrid rice during this period was widely grown in more than 40 countries, including the US, Brazil, India, Vietnam, the Philippines and Madagascar. According to the Xinhua News Agency , the total area of ​​hybrid rice has reached 8 million hectares abroad thanks to the contributions of Mr. Vien and his associates who have worked with dozens of countries around the world to solve the problems of food security as well as the situation of poor people. Malnutrition.

Chinese scientist Yuan Longping passed away at the age of 91 on May 22. Photo: scmp.com China’s top rice researcher has died at a hospital in Trường Sa city, capital of Hunan province. Born in Beijing in 1930, agronomist Yuan Longping succeeded in creating the world’s first high-yield hybrid rice in 1973. With five decades of research on hybrid rice varieties grown on the ground. Covering 9% of the world’s total arable land, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering has helped nearly 20% of the world’s population escape hunger. This hybrid rice variety can yield 20% higher than conventional rice varieties. After that, this rice variety was widely grown in China and many other regions around the world. Currently, about 16 million hectares of agricultural land in China is planted with this hybrid rice variety, accounting for 57% of the total rice area in the country, thereby helping to feed an additional 80 million people every year. Agronomist Vien Long Binh has contributed to making China one of the world’s leading rice producers. With this success and contribution, he is considered the “father” of hybrid rice. In recent years, scientist Vien Long Binh and his research team are still breeding and developing a hybrid rice variety that can be grown in saltwater environments. Scientist Vien Long Binh once said that he has two dreams, which is “enjoying the coolness under the shade of rice plants taller than a person’s head” and that hybrid rice can be widely grown around the world to solve the problem. global food shortage.