From "hot spots" on the map
In April 2026, satellite fire monitoring data continuously recorded hotspots in the Mekong Delta region. On the map, red spots stretch across the fields - a familiar sign of burning straw after harvest. Behind those columns of smoke is a long-standing custom: Burning fields to "clear fields" quickly, preparing for the new crop. But the immediate benefit leads to long-term consequences.
According to MSc Nguyen Phuoc Tuyen - former Director of Dong Thap Provincial Agricultural Extension Center, straw is a nutrient-rich organic source, containing potassium, silicon and many compounds beneficial to the soil. When burned, most of this nutrient is lost in the form of exhaust fumes and ash. Not only that, high temperatures also destroy beneficial microorganisms - the "living machine" that helps maintain soil fertility.
When the microbiome is degraded, the soil becomes barren and discolored, forcing farmers to increase the amount of chemical fertilizer to maintain yield. A vicious cycle forms: The more soil is burned, the poorer it becomes; the poorer the soil, the higher the cost. In other words, burning straw is not only "burning nutrients" but also "burning money" and "burning the future of the soil".
Turning "danger" into "opportunity
From that reality, in mid-April 2026, a team of experts led by Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Truc (Southern Fruit Tree Institute) designed the technique and piloted the method of treating straw with microorganisms in the buffer zone of Tram Chim National Park (Dong Thap).
Instead of being burned, straw is used as an organic material source through the application of technology. Microbial mixtures including strains such as Trichoderma, Bacillus combined with Cellulase enzyme are sprayed directly onto fields after harvest, even by drones. Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Truc explained that cellulose enzyme plays the role of "unlocking" the cellulose structure in straw, creating conditions for microorganisms to continue to break down into organic humus. Thanks to that, the decomposition time is shortened to about 10-15 days, meeting production requirements.
According to calculations by Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Truc, the economic efficiency between the two methods is clearly different. With straw burning, direct costs are only about 200,000 VND/ha, but farmers have to bear many "hidden" losses: nutrient loss, increased fertilizer costs and reduced yield. Total estimated damage is from 2 - 4 million VND/ha/crop.
Meanwhile, processing straw with microorganisms costs about 500,000 VND/ha but brings many benefits: No nutritional loss, reduced fertilizer costs by about 1.5 million VND, increased yield by about 1.5 million VND and created additional value from straw by about 3 million VND or more.
According to Dr. Truc, if we assume 50% of the total area of about 10 million hectares of rice/crop in the Mekong Delta is converted to this method, economic benefits can reach about 25,000 billion VND per crop - a figure that does not include environmental benefits and "green" export opportunities.
Field technology transformation Not stopping at economic efficiency, the microbial straw treatment model also shows the potential for applying technology to agriculture. This process can be standardized by controlling factors such as humidity, pH, nutrient ratio and decomposition rate.
According to Dr. Truc, farmers can easily multiply microorganisms right in the field - from 1kg of preparation can be multiplied to 100 liters. This not only helps reduce costs and create conditions for widespread application, but also connects farmers to access technology more deeply. Dr. Truc believes that in the future, these parameters can be completely integrated with sensor systems, field data and farming management platforms, opening up a direction for precision agriculture and digital agriculture.
