On the morning of April 25th, the Northern Plant Protection Center, in coordination with the Ninh Binh Provincial Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, organized a conference to implement measures for preventing and controlling major pests and diseases affecting rice crops in the late stages of the 2023-2024 Winter-Spring crop season in the northern provinces.
Attendees included leaders from the Plant Protection Department, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ninh Binh province, the Vietnam Pesticide Manufacturers and Traders Association (VIPA); leaders from the Plant Protection Sub-departments of northern provinces; and representatives from several pesticide manufacturing and trading companies.
For the 2023-2024 Winter-Spring crop season, the northern provinces planted over 703,000 hectares of rice. Due to the impact of weather, especially the cold spell in the first half of February, the growth of rice plants has been affected, and it is estimated that the rice in these provinces will flower 5-7 days later than the previous Winter-Spring crop season. In addition, major pests and diseases affecting rice, such as rice blast, rice leaf roller, brown planthopper, bacterial blight, and rats, have a higher distribution area and severity compared to the 2022-2023 Winter-Spring crop season. In particular, the first generation of rice leaf rollers has a much higher density and infected area than the same generation last year; as of April 18th, over 60,000 hectares of rice have been infected.
Forecasts indicate that from now until the end of the season, the pest and disease situation will continue to be complex. Rice blast disease will develop strongly on susceptible varieties, with severe leaf blast affecting large areas. Regarding the small rice leaf roller, the second generation of larvae will hatch and cause concentrated damage from April 25th to early May, mainly affecting main and late spring rice crops in the heading stage before flowering. In many places, the density of the larvae can reach 50-100 individuals/m2, and in some exceptional cases up to 500 individuals/m2, especially in coastal provinces. In addition, the second generation of rice planthoppers will continue to emerge in large numbers, with a widespread distribution and a density of 500-700 individuals/m2, reaching 2,000-5,000 individuals/m2 in some areas. If not effectively controlled, this could cause small-scale crop damage in mid to late May.
In Ninh Binh province, the total area affected by pests and diseases as of April 16th was over 6,700 hectares (nearly 7 times higher than the same period of the 2022-2023 Winter-Spring crop season). Of this, the severely affected area was 664.5 hectares (many times higher than the same period of the 2022-2023 Winter-Spring crop season), and the area where control measures have been implemented was 3,800.5 hectares. The main pests and diseases include: rice leaf roller, planthoppers, rats, and rice blast disease.
Speaking at the conference, delegates noted that the pest and disease situation in this year's winter-spring crop is very complex and proposed many solutions to prevent and control the situation effectively, ensuring rice yield at the end of the season.
Concluding the conference, Deputy Director of the Plant Protection Department Nguyen Quy Duong requested: Local authorities need to strengthen field inspections, closely monitor pest outbreaks, combine this with monitoring weather conditions and crop growth; accurately assess the potential for outbreaks and the extent of damage to promptly advise local authorities on proactive pest control measures. Strengthen propaganda and guidance for farmers on pest control techniques and the use of plant protection products according to the "four correct principles." Improve inspection and control to ensure market stability for plant protection products, effectively supporting pest control efforts. Note that, specifically for the small leaf-rolling caterpillar, whose current density in fields is very high, each province must conduct surveys, closely monitor developments, and select appropriate spraying times to ensure maximum effectiveness (concentrated spraying is planned from April 25th to May 5th, 2024).
Nguyen Luu-Anh Tuan
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