Scenery of using Azolla as rice greenmanure at northern Vietnam in 1979
In 1978, Mrs Dao The Tuan and Tran Quan Thuet visited IRRI symposium "Nitrogen and Rice"
and introduced azolla use in Vietnam. This was the first visit of Vietnamese scientists
after the unification of Vietnam. This introduction was the first one open to the Western world.
In January of 1979, I was invited by them to have a close look at the situation of usinfg Azolla in northern Vietnam.
Azolla was used for greenmanure to spring rice (Feb.-July).
When I showed slides illustrating the Vietnamese use of Azolla at the occasion of "Asian Rice -Duck Workshop" held in Hanoi in 1999.
Most of Vietnamese scientists, extention workers and farmers got fresh impression,
and got knowledgable about the past history of using Azolla.
Old people remembered well the situation at the time. Some involved the extention of Azolla technology at that time.
However, most of young people did not know the histrory of using Azolla, and never saw the situation at that time.
Now, the use of azolla in combination with rice-duck farming sysytem revived. It is timing to show some of slides taken in 1979
to illustrate past histroy of using azolla in Vietnam.
Ponds growing Azolla in Academy of Agricultural Science in Hanoi. Various strains collected mostly from Vietnam were maintained in these ponds.
Center-left: Dao Te Tuan, Center-right:Tran Quan Thuet, Right: Director (politician).
Building of the Academy was destryed by US bombing, and experiments were undertaken under grass-roofed houses.
At that time, one of Directors was a politician
Upper-left：Azolla Multiplication Center in Nam Dhing Province
Azolla Multiplication Center, established in Districts, was in charge of maintaining, growing,
and distributing Azolla seedlings.
Upper-right:Inside an Azolla Multiplication Center. Photo of Ho Chin Min looked down people.
Illustrations of using Azolla were pinned up.
Upper-left:Rice field before transplanting spring rice was covered by Azolla mat.
I was 47 years old at that time.
Upper-right:Spreading Azolla into field.
A field plot was divided to subplots by dykes
After spreading there, Azolla was moved to the adjacent subplots.
Upper-left:Havesting Azolla, and accumulating on the dykes. This was fields of Agric.
Cooperatives. Thus harvested Azolla was transported to other fields for further multiplication.
Dykes were high to protect from frequent flooding in Nam Dhing Province.
Upper-right:A woman transportiong Azolla.
Upper-left:A boat on the canal to transport Azolla. Canals were abundant in Red River delta
Upper-right: Poster urging the use of Azolla "Beo Dao" to get rice yield higher than 5 ton/ha.
La Van village in Thai Bhin Province was believed to be original place of Azolla use. During colonial days, women in this village were forbidden to marry men from other villages to protect the secret of Azolla. After Revolution, Azolla technology was disseminated actively on the basis of scientific studies.
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Upper-left
Ponds in the farm-backyard to grow fish. Azolla was grown there.
Upper-right:Villagers were selling Azolla.
The price there was higher than that of govern,ment organization. Azolla in La Van was believed to be best.
Upper-left:A temple in La Van, memorating a monk, believed to dissemminate AZolla use during famine days in 11 th century. Upper-right:Sutupa of that monk
Left:Innoculating Azolla.
Spreading while shaking.
Labor-intensive work
Use of Azolla after the visit
In the 1980s, Doi Moi policy urged farmers initiatives. Chemical fertilizers replaced labor intensive Azolla greenmanure. Regional Azolla Multiplication Centers were dismantled, and many Azolla strains were lost. The use of Azolla declined sharply.
Dr. Do Can Cat, who bred Azolla hybrid (4030), was watching the hybrid spread in rice fields.
At that time, it was hard to see azolla growtn in rice fields.