Nguyen Thi Loc is one of two Vietnamese female scientists who willreceive the Kovalevskaia Award 2010 at a ceremony in Hanoi on March8, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper has reported.
"I conductresearch to help farmers cut harvest losses. The image of my motherworking hard in the rice fields to take care of eight children isimprinted deep within my memory. I had to overcome difficulties to studyand research," said Dr. Loc, head of the Cuu Long Delta Rice ResearchInstitute's Insect Ecology and Biological Control Department.
Loc's products, including two entomogenous fungal bio-insecticidescalled OMetar and Biovip, have helped control pests on rice and othercrops.
Loc has also provided farmers with pest-management methods and cultivation tips on growing rice, crop, fruits and sugarcane.
"During the first few days, I saw farmers cleaning canal water withalum to use for their daily activities, and some even drank the waterwithout boiling it while fertilisers and pesticides were just sprayed onrice fields nearby," she said.
Loc was shocked anddecided to conduct research to create products that can replace toxicchemicals to protect rice crops and farmers' health.
"Maybe that was the reason I stayed in this region," she said.
In 1989, she studied in India for her post-graduate study. Aftertaking her doctorate degree in entomophagous fungi, Loc received a USscholarship for post-doctoral study in biotechnology in plantprotection. Loc then returned to the institute and worked with hercolleagues conducting research and producing two bio-insecticides fromMetarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana fungi to control brownplanthoppers, rice bugs and lepidopterans.
In 2002, theMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development approved the applicationof two bio-insecticides in agricultural production on a large scale.
The two bio-insecticides are listed in the country's plant protectionmedicine list with tradenames of OMetar and Biovip. Loc and hercolleagues have transferred the techniques of producing OMetar tofarmers so they can produce it themselves at a cost of about 50,000 VNDper ha each time they spray their fields.
This has helped farmers save billions of dong.
Farmers have also called Loc to visit their fields after they successfully applied the technique.
Loc said she will use the 3,000 USD from the Kovalevskaia award toconduct research on the production of a bio-insecticide from microfungito control pests on plants, especially on fruit trees.
TheKovalevskaia prize, named after a Russian female professor ofmathematics during the 19th century, Sophia Kovalevskaia, was founded in1985 to honour women scientists in developing countries./.
"I conductresearch to help farmers cut harvest losses. The image of my motherworking hard in the rice fields to take care of eight children isimprinted deep within my memory. I had to overcome difficulties to studyand research," said Dr. Loc, head of the Cuu Long Delta Rice ResearchInstitute's Insect Ecology and Biological Control Department.
Loc's products, including two entomogenous fungal bio-insecticidescalled OMetar and Biovip, have helped control pests on rice and othercrops.
Loc has also provided farmers with pest-management methods and cultivation tips on growing rice, crop, fruits and sugarcane.
"During the first few days, I saw farmers cleaning canal water withalum to use for their daily activities, and some even drank the waterwithout boiling it while fertilisers and pesticides were just sprayed onrice fields nearby," she said.
Loc was shocked anddecided to conduct research to create products that can replace toxicchemicals to protect rice crops and farmers' health.
"Maybe that was the reason I stayed in this region," she said.
In 1989, she studied in India for her post-graduate study. Aftertaking her doctorate degree in entomophagous fungi, Loc received a USscholarship for post-doctoral study in biotechnology in plantprotection. Loc then returned to the institute and worked with hercolleagues conducting research and producing two bio-insecticides fromMetarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana fungi to control brownplanthoppers, rice bugs and lepidopterans.
In 2002, theMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development approved the applicationof two bio-insecticides in agricultural production on a large scale.
The two bio-insecticides are listed in the country's plant protectionmedicine list with tradenames of OMetar and Biovip. Loc and hercolleagues have transferred the techniques of producing OMetar tofarmers so they can produce it themselves at a cost of about 50,000 VNDper ha each time they spray their fields.
This has helped farmers save billions of dong.
Farmers have also called Loc to visit their fields after they successfully applied the technique.
Loc said she will use the 3,000 USD from the Kovalevskaia award toconduct research on the production of a bio-insecticide from microfungito control pests on plants, especially on fruit trees.
TheKovalevskaia prize, named after a Russian female professor ofmathematics during the 19th century, Sophia Kovalevskaia, was founded in1985 to honour women scientists in developing countries./.
