Care and protection for spring rice to grow well and achieve high yield

Staff of the Agricultural Service Center of Hoa Binh City guide farmers to check for pests on rice plants. Photo: Thanh Hang (Contributor)

In order to minimize damage caused by pests, experts recommend farmers some measures to care for and prevent pests and diseases on spring rice crops:

1. Watering and fertilizing:

Good water management is an important factor in irrigating spring rice. Farmers can use water pumps and irrigation canal systems to bring water into the fields. Clean, safe water sources should be used, and dirty water or water containing toxic substances should be avoided because it can affect the growth and development of rice plants.

To take care of spring rice, farmers need to pay attention to the cycles of watering just enough, helping the rice grow well and achieve the highest efficiency. In fields with a complete irrigation system, from the time the rice plants begin to tiller, watering is done according to the formula "shallow - exposed - exposed", shallow watering and alternating moisture retention helps the rice tiller early, strong, and concentrated. When the rice reaches the maximum number of tillers, drain the water to expose the bird's feet to help the roots grow deep, increasing the plant's resistance to lodging.

- Fertilizing rice is divided into two stages: Stage 1, when the rice begins to tiller, apply nitrogen and potassium fertilizer; combine fertilization with weeding and stirring mud to mix fertilizer with soil. Stage 2, when the rice begins to differentiate panicles and stand, observe if 10% of the female shoots have a waist at the tip of the leaves, or peel off the female shoots if you clearly see 2 nodes of the stem or the growing tip begins to differentiate flower buds, then apply; apply the remaining nitrogen and potassium fertilizer. Increase field inspection, care, weeding, and fertilize fully, balanced and according to technical procedures to ensure healthy growth and development of the rice.

2. Pest control:

- Group of planthoppers: brown planthoppers, white-backed planthoppers, the third generation of planthoppers, peak damage from mid-April to mid-May. Farmers need to proactively investigate and detect early planthopper nests, only spray chemically to control planthoppers when the density is high > 1,500 individuals/m2, spray concentratedly at planthopper nests, infected fields, do not spray widely across the field to avoid planthopper outbreaks at the end of the season. Rice fields infected with planthoppers and yellow leaves due to lack of nutrition, spray to control planthoppers when the density is > 1,000 individuals/m2 combined with yellow leaf treatment.

Rice in the standing and panicle differentiation stages uses one of the following pesticides: Amira 25WG; Brimgold 200Wp, Vithoxam 350SC; Cheestar 50WG; Chersieu 50WG... or pesticides listed for use in Vietnam that are registered to control planthoppers. Spray according to the recommended concentration and dosage on the packaging.

Rice in the panicle-flowering and color-drying stages use one of the following contact pesticides: Nibas 50EC; Virtako® 40WG, Comda Gold 5WG, Mopride 20WP; Bassa 50EC, Mofitox 40EC, Butyl 400SC; 10WP or other pesticides listed for use in Vietnam that are registered to control planthoppers. Spray according to the recommended concentration and dosage on the package. When spraying, part the rice and direct the nozzle downwards to ensure that the pesticide comes into direct contact with the resident planthoppers.

- Leaf rollers: The second generation of leaf rollers damages rice fields from early to mid-April, the third generation of leaf rollers damages rice fields from late April to mid-May. Apply chemical measures to rice in the tillering - tillering stage, with a larval density of over 50 larvae/m2; rice in the panicle - flowering - drying stage, with a larval density of over 20 larvae/m2.

You can use one of the following drugs: Virtako® 40WG; Goldmectin 36EC, 60SC, 70WG, Mectinstar 20EC, Emalusa 50.5WSG, Netoxin 18SL... or other drugs listed for use in Vietnam that are registered to control small leaf rollers. Spray according to the concentration and dosage instructions on the package.

- Rice blast disease: Leaf blast disease continues to cause damage on susceptible varieties, old disease outbreak areas, the disease tends to cause severe damage in cloudy weather, fog at night and early morning, temperature from 20 - 280C. Neck blast disease occurs and causes damage on susceptible varieties, old disease outbreak areas from late April on early tea and mid-May on 2 main and late tea seasons; causes severe damage in places where there is already a source of disease on leaves and places where leaf blast disease has not been actively prevented in the past.

For diseased rice fields: It is necessary to maintain enough water, stop fertilizing with nitrogen, growth stimulants or foliar fertilizers containing nitrogen; use specific drugs to treat newly emerging disease outbreaks to prevent them from spreading into epidemics. For fields infected with leaf blast, it is necessary to spray to prevent neck blast when the rice begins to flower, spray again 5-7 days after the first time.

You can use one of the following drugs: Filia® 525SE; Amistar® 325SC; Fuji-One 40EC, 40WP; Beammy - kasu 300SC, 800WG; Trizole 400SC, 75WP, 75WG; Bulny 850WP; Abenix 10SC... or other drugs in the List of pesticides allowed for use in Vietnam registered to control rice blast disease. For severely affected fields, spray again 2-3 days after the first spray.

- Bacterial leaf blight and streak disease develop strongly from mid-April to the end of the crop, especially after thunderstorms. For areas planted with infected varieties and old disease hotspots, one of the following drugs can be used for prevention: Fujimin 20SL, 50WP, Golcol 20SL, 50WP, Kamycinusa 75SL, 76WP... or other drugs listed for use in Vietnam that are registered except for this subject.

For diseased fields, it is necessary to keep enough water, temporarily stop fertilizing with nitrogen or spray foliar fertilizers containing nitrogen or growth stimulants and can use one of the following drugs: Starner 20WP; Norshield 86.2WG; Apolits 30WP: 80 WP, Aliette 800 WG; Starsuper 10SC, 20WP, 21SL; Supervery 50WP; Saipan 2SL... to spray, or other drugs listed for use in Vietnam that are registered except for this subject.

- Sheath blight disease causes damage from mid-April on rice fields, peaking from April 30. Diseased fields need to be kept well-watered, not fertilized with nitrogen or sprayed with foliar fertilizers containing nitrogen, one of the following drugs can be used: Tilt Super® 300EC, Vanicide 5SL, 5WP; Anvil® 5SC, Dibazole 5SC; Nevo® 330EC, Grandgold 80SC, 510WP; Kansui 21,2WP... or other drugs listed for use in Vietnam that are registered except for this subject.

- For harmful rats, clean and clear the banks and ditches to limit hiding places and breeding grounds for rats. When there are harmful rats, mobilize all regions to handle and catch rats simultaneously. You can use one of the following drugs: Rat-Kill 2%DP, Killmou 2.5DP, Ran part 2%DS, 0.6AB, Klerat® 0.005% wax block bait, 0.005 pellete, Storm 0.005% block bait... or other drugs in the list of drugs allowed for use in Vietnam registered to prevent this species.

* Some notes when controlling pests:

Conduct regular inspections to promptly detect and eliminate pests on crops. In case of a large number of pests, it is necessary to use pesticides, with priority given to biological pesticides to protect the environment and human health.

Farmers need to pay attention to applying the "4 rights" principle, including: right medicine, right time, right concentration and right method. Spraying should be done in the morning when the weather is dry and dewy or in the cool afternoon. Do not spray when the air temperature is above 330C, or when it is about to rain or has just rained, and the rice leaves are still wet. Fields that have just been sprayed and are exposed to rain need to be sprayed again. Use insect traps to attract and catch pests and harmful insects on rice plants.

Provincial Agricultural Extension Center

Source: https://baohoabinh.com.vn/12/200414/Cham-soc,-bao-ve-lua-vu-xuan-phat-trien-tot,-dat-nang-suat-cao.htm