Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development CARD Project Progress Report 052/04VIE: Management of Phytophthora diseases in Vietnamese horticulture MS2: FIRST SIX-MONTHLY REPORT July 2005 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 First 6 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: Luda Kuchieva Telephone: 02.93517903 Position: Grants Officer Fax: 02.93517903 Organisation The University of Sydney Email: luda@reschols.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 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 smallholder outcomes by reducing crop losses due to Phytophthora. The first milestone of this CARD project has been completed and relevant activities are described. The first in a series of two Scientific Training Workshops were held at NIPP-Hanoi, FTRDC-Hue and SOFRI-My Tho in Vietnam between May 31 st and June 13 th , 2005. An initial survey was conducted to assess the competency of institutional staff and the effectiveness of the workshop series. A Training Manual was developed and distributed to participants providing an ongoing reference. Workshop participants were trained in pathogen identification, disease diagnosis, farm management and disease control methods and participatory research extension techniques. Participants will establish short research projects to develop integrated disease management recommendations for implementation by farmers in the next milestone of the project. Results from these projects will be discussed at the next workshop. In completing these activities we have met the targets set in the first milestone. 3. Executive Summary This project aims to extend sustainable and effective disease control and management recommendations developed in previous research, to a wide range of horticultural crops throughout Vietnam, thereby improving smallholder outcomes by reducing crop losses due to Phytophthora diseases. This report describes the first in a series of two scientific training workshops held at the 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 May 31 and June 13, 2005. The workshops were attended by 77 scientists and extension workers from universities, research institutes and extension agencies in the north, centre and south of Vietnam. The gender balance of participants was tipped towards males with 41% of participants at all three workshops being female. A survey was conducted at the beginning of each workshop to assess the competency of institutional staff and the effectiveness of the workshop series using Bennett’s Hierarchy. This information, along with the farmer surveys to be conducted in the extension workshops, will enable us to assess the impact of the training workshops and the CARD project. A Training Manual was developed and distributed at each workshop, along with copies of ACIAR Monographs 99 “Developing Agricultural Solutions with Smallholder Farmers” and 114 “Diversity and Management of Phytophthora in Southeast Asia”. A hardcopy and an electronic copy of the training manual are submitted as attachments with this report. The training manual includes all presentations from the workshops and additional information about Phytophthora diseases and their management taken from ACIAR Monograph 114. It was well received and provides a comprehensive future reference point for participants. 3 The three day scientific Training Workshops provided a hands-on approach to diagnosis and management of Phytophthora diseases in Vietnam. Workshop participants were trained in pathogen identification, disease diagnosis, disease control methods and PAR. Lecture sessions introduced participants to the a variety of Phytophthora species and the diseases they can cause on a range of plants, the impact of Phytophthora diseases in Southeast Asia, the concepts of disease diagnosis, pathogen isolation and identification, disease epidemiology and disease cycles. This information was put into practice when participants went out into the field to identify diseased plants and collect material for laboratory analysis. In the laboratory participants learnt several techniques to isolate Phytophthora from soil and plant material and to identify Phytophthora as the causal organism of the disease. Group discussions were held to discuss current disease incidence and management strategies. This was followed by a group discussion session to develop a selection of disease low-, medium- and high-input management options to present to farmers as part the extension recommendations and participatory research. This information provides participants with the capacity to conduct extension workshops in the next phase of the project where participants will establish short research projects based on participatory research (PAR) to develop integrated disease management recommendations for farmers. Results from these projects will be discussed at the next workshop. The information presented in this report addresses the targets required to fulfil the first milestone of the CARD project. 4. Introduction & Background The geographic and climatic diversity in Vietnam allows a broad range of plant species to be grown. Tropical fruit trees are concentrated in the northern and southern parts of Vietnam and temperate crops in the northern and central highlands. The diverse climatic regions also provide an ideal climate for Phytophthora spp to flourish, and the genus Phytophthora is responsible for extensive economic damage in a wide range of different 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 lacking. 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 smallholders. 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 4 each site will include 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. In this way knowledge gained from these workshops will be incorporated into undergraduate and postgraduate training programs. 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. The final training Scientific Training Workshop to be organised by the Australian partners is scheduled for October 2006. These 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. The second level of workshop will focus on symptom recognition and the application of integrated management to smallholders. Vietnamese scientific staff will run 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 visit field sites in February 2006, to 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. Workshop participants will present the results of their participatory research trials at the final workshop scheduled for October 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 farmers will become a focus for future extension activities. Farmer competitions, field days and GP exercises will supplement these participatory activities. Selected 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. Three scientists, Mrs Nguyen Thi Ly (NIPP), Mr Doan Nhan Ai (FTRDC), Dr Nguyen Van Hoa (SOFRI), will visit Australia in July 2005 to participate a training and study tour to examine nursery best practice and horticultural production in southern Queensland, and for further training in Phytophthora diagnostics. This will build institutional capacity and aims to maximise the long-term benefits to each institution. 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 first milestone has been reached with the following targets already implemented: 5 1. Contract signing in April 2005. 2. Signing of an MOU between Australian and Vietnamese project leaders. 3. Development and distribution of Training Manual. 4. Initial assessment of competency of Vietnamese institutional staff by conducting questionnaires at the beginning of the first workshop. A similar questionnaire will be distributed in the final workshop to assess the effectiveness of the scientific training activities using Bennett’s Hierarchy. 5. Completion of first scientific training workshops at NIPP-Hanoi, FTRDC-Hue and SOFRI-My Tho. A Scientific Training Workshop program can be found in Appendix I. 6. Training of 77 Vietnamese scientists in disease diagnosis and the identification of Phytophthora. 7. Planning of Vietnamese scientific visit to Australia in July, 2005. 5.2 Capacity Building 1. Scientific training workshops The Training Workshops in this project aim to fill the current gaps in knowledge of Phytophthora diseases at all levels in Vietnamese horticulture. Hands-on Scientific Training Workshops held at NIPP, FTRDC and SOFRI included a total of 77 staff from these collaborating institutes, universities, provincial Plant Protection Departments and Vietnam Agricultural Science Institute (VASI). The inclusion of university staff will further promote the incorporation of knowledge gained from these workshops into undergraduate and postgraduate training programs. The Scientific Training Workshops focused on the biology of Phytophthora, the diseases it causes and a range of management practices (Appendix I). Scientists who participated in the first Training Workshop were trained in symptom diagnosis at the field and laboratory levels resulting in improved institutional capacity for disease symptom diagnosis, pathogen identification, research and recommendations. Scientists were also introduced to the technique of Participatory Action Research (PAR) for farmer training and dissemination of disease control methods. This will improve the capacity for conducting extension training and the diffusion of management strategies into farming communities. The Scientific Training Workshop also introduced participants to potential quarantine and future disease risks in Vietnamese horticulture providing participants with the ability to not only address current problems but also to develop a capacity to respond to new disease problems as they arise. The study tour planned for July 2005 will expose Vietnamese scientists to nursery and horticultural production best practice techniques as well as advanced 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. 2. Training Manual A comprehensive training manual was developed and provided to workshop participants as both a hard copy and an electronic copy (CD). The manual included copies of all presentations, some of which were translated into Vietnamese and translations of selected relevant chapters of ACIAR Monograph No 14 (Drenth A & Guest DI, 2004. Diversity and Management of Phytophthora in Southeast Asia). The distribution of the manual primarily in English was preferred at SOFRI to encourage participants to learn English. 6 Participants were also provided with a copy of the ACIAR Monograph in English. The Monograph provides a comprehensive background, practical information and advice for the development and implementation of effective integrated management strategies for Phytophthora diseases occurring on a variety of crops under different environmental conditions. Participants were also provided with copies of the Vietnamese translation of ACIAR Monograph 99 “Developing Agricultural Solutions with Smallholder Farmers”. This monographs outlines PAR approaches designed to encourage farmer adoption of new technologies. The development and distribution of a comprehensive training manual and the ACIAR Monographs Nos 99 and 114 provide participants with guides to which they can refer as the need arises. 3. Scientific study tour of Australia An advanced training tour of Australia is scheduled for July 2005. Three Vietnamese scientists were selected by the Vietnamese project leaders to participate in a training and study tour to examine nursery best practice and horticultural production and for further training in Phytophthora diagnostics. This will build institutional capacity and aims to maximise the long-term benefits to each institution. 6. Report on Cross-Cutting Issues 6.1 Environment The current lack of disease management information in many areas of Vietnam may lead to inappropriate use of pesticides. Application of chemicals for pest and disease control can lead to high residues in food and environmental pollution. Many participants at the workshop in My Tho raised environmental issues as a major concern of farmers. For example in Hanoi, Hatay and Vinh Phuc Provinces, farmers have been reported to apply 2-3 times the recommended rate of fungicides to potato and tomato crops every 3-5 days during the cool season. Our approach to integrated disease management of Phytophthora diseases has minimal chemical inputs and is generally beneficial to the environment. The approach is based on accurate disease diagnosis, improved nursery practice to ensure farmers are supplied with high-quality, disease-free planting material, adequate farm preparation to improve soil drainage and increase soil organic matter and the activity of beneficial soil microbes, quarantine and farm hygiene to minimise pathogen dissemination, the use of organic composts and manures to maintain soil fertility and increase water-use efficiency, improved drainage and canopy aeration to reduce humidity and pathogen sporulation. In some cases strategic application of phosphonate fungicides may be appropriate. The tailoring of specific recommendations for particular crops enables precise treatment of diseases preventing environmental spillage. It also promotes capacity building and the ability of Vietnamese scientists and extension staff to respond to new problems as they arise. The technologies in our approach are not dissimilar to traditional farming systems and have beneficial rather than negative environmental impacts for example, by improving soil organic matter, reducing unnecessary or inappropriate pesticide and fertiliser application. 6.2 Gender and Social Issues A greater proportion of participants at the three workshops were male (59%). This was largely due to the large number of males (82%) attending the workshop at 7 FTRDC. A greater proportion of participants at the NIPP were female, while at SOFRI the balance was more evenly distributed. 7. Implementation & Sustainability Issues 7.1 Issues and Constraints Minor issues have been dealt with as they occurred: • Delay in signing research agreement and transfer of funds • Delays in transfer of money to Vietnam • Communication confusion and indecision for purchase of airfares and allocation of allowances for scientific visit 7.2 Options Tasks to meet the first milestone have been completed. The project is running well and no changes need to be made. 8. Next Critical Steps The activities that will be undertaken in the next six months are: 1. Scientific training tours of Australia for three Vietnamese scientists 2. Organise extension training workshops an identify participants in each region 3. Conduct extension training workshops in each region 4. Establish experiments to develop integrated disease management techniques 5. Organise farmer training and PAR and identify locations a. Promote awareness amongst farmers and recruit participants b. Run PAR and GP activities in 15 provinces 6. Review farmer training and extension activities 7. Finalise purchase and delivery of microscopes, projectors and laptop computers Mr Doan Nhan Ai did not get his visa in time to join the scientific tour in July 2005 and will instead visit Australia for scientific training in 2006. 9. Conclusion This project aims to improve smallholder outcomes by reducing crop losses due to Phytophthora diseases through extension of sustainable and effective disease control and management recommendations for a wide range of horticultural crops throughout Vietnam. The first of a series of workshops were held at NIPP, FTRDC and SOFRI in June 2005 and were attended by 77 scientists and extension workers from universities, research institutes and extension agencies. The hands-on approach to teaching and learning in the workshops will contribute to capacity building in the research and extension institutes involved. Scientific staff are equipped to transfer diagnostic skills and Phytophthora disease management strategies to extension agencies. Incorporation of the knowledge gained from these workshops into undergraduate and postgraduate training programs will enhance the capacity of future scientists and extension works to address current future disease risks. In completing these activities we have successfully addressed the first milestone. 8 . 2005 1 1. Institute Information Project Name Management of Phytophthora Diseases in Vietnamese Horticulture Vietnamese Institution National Institute of Plant Protection, Hanoi Vietnamese. Completion of first scientific training workshops at NIPP-Hanoi, FTRDC-Hue and SOFRI-My Tho. A Scientific Training Workshop program can be found in Appendix I. 6. Training of 77 Vietnamese. workshops The Training Workshops in this project aim to fill the current gaps in knowledge of Phytophthora diseases at all levels in Vietnamese horticulture. Hands-on Scientific Training Workshops