FNCA 2020 Study Panel: Food and Agriculture
3-5 March 2021

Adaptation and Mitigation of theClimate Change Impacts in Agriculture
with Radiation TechnologyTran Minh Quynh, Hanoi Irradiation CenterSupport enough food forthe population and reachthe millennium goal by
reduce poverty

Markets for Vietnam agriculture products

Vietnam is one of the country that has gooddeal with food security

Recent Climate Change Impacts

Global warming and drought

Rainfall distribution

Insects and pests diseases

To be a vulnerable coastal country, our agricultural
production continuously suffered from the adverseeffects of climate change: temperature rise, change
in rainfall, sea level rise and salinization...

Sea level rise and salinity

Together with CC, number of insects and pests
diseases also outbreak and threat to its agricultural
sustainable development

Other extreme weather events

 Vietnam is regularly affected by 10-12 natural disasters (typhoons and floods) annually,
together with another extreme events they destroyed not only agriculture production,
but also other resources These extreme events are predicted to be increased both in frequency and intensity

4Adverse Effects of CCHOW NUCLEAR & RADIATIONTECHNOLOGIES CAN MITIGATE
CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS ?

1. Radiation induced mutation

New varieties with special traits that can adapt to climate change:
Saline tolerant rice, insects resistant soybean, stress resistant crops… 7

Radiation mutation for plan breeding

Collaborate with agricultural research institutes to produce anddeliver high quality flowers and bonsai treesImprove production of bioactive substances New bacterial mutants (Bacillus, Azotobacter, Trichoderma) which canproduce higher amount of secondary metabolites such as protease,
IAA for production of bio-fertilizers, bio-pesticides…

2. Food Irradiation for Food Safety
1995-2000

Sprouting inhibition of bulbs, tubers

Ripen Delay Insect disinfestation

Microbial decontamination

INSECT DISINFECTATION FOR (RICE, MAIZE, BEANS…)
FOR FOOD SECURITY

Irradiated at 60 Gy

Non-irradiated RiceNon-irradiatedGamma Irradiation for infected
rice with doses of 50-75Gy

Death rate (%) of coffee bean weevil by
gamma irradiation during with storage

Radiation phytosanitary

Control

IrradiatedIrradiated at 2 kGyControl fruit flies B. Dosalis Hendel
existing in dragon fruits

Quarantine of rye-grass
Lolium temulentum L. inPakistan imported wheatB. Correcta infesting in grape fruits

and Conopomorpha Sinensis Bradleyborers infesting in lychees

12And facilitate to Food Trade13

Phytosanitary treatment of exported lychees

HIC’s irradiator have been permitted by Australia Department of Agriculture andWater Resource for quarantine treatment of fresh lychees (2016), mango (2017)

Food irradiation application in Vietnam

200820102012201420162018

Vietnam is a tropical country with variety foods and delicious fruits. Even irradiatedfoods are not available in domestic market, total amount of the irradiated foods for export
ever-increasing from beginning of this century, and reached near 100 thousands tons per
year, with rapid development of private sectors.
Main products include frozen sea-foods, dried fishes, dehydrated spices and vegetables,
fresh fruits, functional foods and others…
15

Sterilize instant food and meals for patients

Sanitary and phytosanitary treatment of instant foods

Sterile meals for high suffering patients, andproduce functional foods

3. High performance food packaging
Radiation modification of polymer
Crosslinking

Radiation treatment
Monomer

Polymer chains

Grafting

Radicals
Degradation

 Radiation modification of biopolymers (PLLA, starch) for
high performance food packaging
 Prepare bioactive substances (PGP, SWA) for agricultureLow Mw and oligo-saccharide for agriculture

Foliar fertilizers, pests and disease protector
and immune stimulating agents for crops

SUMMARY Vietnam is a vulnerable country, which much affected by the climatechange effects, especially for its agriculture production; Therefore, VINATOM had close collaborated with research institutes inagriculture for promote nuclear techniques and radiation technology tomitigate the adverse effects of CC in coming years;
 Preliminary results indicated that new crops with the traits adapted toclimate change, mutant strains with high production of bioactive canbe produced by radiation mutation combining with bio-technology;
 Food Irradiation have been applied to ensure food safety and security,
phytosanitary for facilitate to food trade in Vietnam;
 Radiation processing also studied for prepare high performance foodpackaging materials, plant growth promotor, crop protection substanceand immune stimulating agents for agriculture use;
 Thus, radiation technology is useful for mitigate the CC impacts.