Proactively prepare for the spring crop.

Việt Nam•28/12/2023

Recognizing that the spring crop is the most productive and important crop of the year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development requires localities to prioritize the rational arrangement of planting schedules. Because the 2023-2024 winter-spring crop is forecast to be warmer, localities need to calculate the appropriate time for sowing seedlings so that flowering occurs at the optimal time.

For the spring crop of 2024, the entire province aims to plant over 74,000 hectares of rice, with a yield of over 70 quintals/hectare.

Arranging crop varieties and planting seasons to "circumvent" unfavorable weather conditions.

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, the weather in 2024 is expected to be warmer due to the influence of El Nino. Temperatures during this winter may be 0.5-1.5 degrees Celsius higher than the multi-year average. Specifically, during the early winter-spring period of 2023-2024, cold air masses are likely to be weak, and severe cold spells may appear later; the number of days with severe cold spells tends to be fewer than the multi-year average.

The Plant Protection Department predicts that in 2024, in the northern region, rice crops will face several pest and disease problems such as rats, black stripe dwarf disease, leaf roller disease, and blast disease during the winter-spring crop season.

To suit the weather conditions of 2024, the agricultural sector is directing the production of late spring rice as the main crop, increasing the area of high-quality rice varieties that are resistant to pests, diseases, and adverse conditions. Specifically, high-quality rice will account for approximately 50% of the area, focusing on varieties such as Dai Thom 8, Bac Thom No. 7, TBR279, and Japanese rice; high-yield rice varieties will account for approximately 50% of the area, focusing on varieties such as TBR225, Thien Uu 8, VNR20, and DH12. The area of rice transplanted by machine will be expanded to 20,000-25,000 hectares; farmers are encouraged to consolidate land for planting the same crop and variety to maximize mechanization in production, while also producing a large quantity of products, facilitating sales, and increasing production efficiency. Sow rice seedlings from January 25th to February 6th, 2024 (around the beginning of spring) using the method of sowing young seedlings on a hard ground surface with a white plastic-covered arch frame or sowing seedlings in trays, and complete transplanting before February 22nd, 2024.

For the spring crop of 2024, Dong Hung district aims to plant 11,102 hectares of rice, with a yield of 71 quintals/hectare or more.

Mr. Vuong Duc Hang, Vice Chairman of the District People's Committee, said: To proactively manage production in warm weather conditions, the district has directed communes, agricultural cooperatives, and relevant units to guide farmers to strictly adhere to the planting schedule and rice variety structure; communes with a tradition of early rice planting (VN10 variety, traditional glutinous rice, Taiwanese glutinous rice) should adjust the seedling planting schedule, not sowing before December 20, 2023. Main rice crops need to strictly comply with the planting schedule according to the provincial production plan and the district's production project to ensure that the spring rice crop flowers within a safe timeframe.

Early warning and timely pest control.

One unfavorable aspect of the 2024 spring crop production is the predicted complexity of plant diseases. In 2023, the total area infected with weeds (wild rice, wild rice, and other similar plants) in the province was 95 hectares, including 56 hectares in the spring crop and 39 hectares in the autumn crop. Weeds grow and develop vigorously, directly competing with transplanted rice for nutrients and sunlight, potentially causing yield losses of 15-20% with a weed infestation rate of 35% or higher, or even total crop failure if the weed infestation rate is high. In addition, Southern rice black-striped dwarf disease is also appearing sporadically in many localities in the province.

Mr. Mai Thanh Giang, Head of the Crop Production and Plant Protection Sub-Department, said: In 2023, many localities such as Phu Luong, Dong Cuong, Dong Son, Dong Dong communes (Dong Hung district); Nguyen Xa commune (Vu Thu district); Dong Hoang commune (Tien Hai district); Le Loi, Vu Thang, Vu Hoa communes (Kien Xuong district)... applied improved rice cultivation techniques (SRI), planting in wide and narrow rows to create conditions for the rice to have the highest photosynthetic capacity, resulting in healthy plants with good resistance to pests and diseases. For the spring crop of 2024, the agricultural sector also recommends that localities expand the area of cultivation according to the Integrated Crop Health Management (IPHM) and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) processes, and at the same time advise the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to issue a plan for preventing and controlling rice black stripe dwarf disease and rice weeds.

Accordingly, the agricultural sector recommends that localities arrange a rational cropping structure, plan concentrated planting areas; and switch from direct sowing to manual or machine transplanting to easily identify and remove weeds. It is recommended to use rice seeds that meet quality standards (purebred seeds, certified seeds), and not to use self-saved rice from areas infected with weeds in the previous season for planting. The most crucial "prevention" measure is field sanitation and disease control. For rice black stripe dwarf disease, plowing under rice stubble is necessary to prevent the disease from spreading to ratoons and regenerated rice, clearing weeds from field edges and irrigation ditches... limiting hiding places for planthoppers and eradicating the source of the disease. For weeds, after harvest, maintain moisture on the field surface to encourage weed seeds to germinate, then apply lime, plow and soak the field to rot the weed seeds, or use microbial preparations to quickly decompose straw and weed seeds. Before planting, the land needs to be thoroughly prepared and leveled before transplanting; at the end of the growing season, observe and remove any mixed rice panicles and destroy them to eliminate the source of infection before mass harvesting; areas with 60% or more of the rice plants infested with weeds should be harvested separately, the area cordoned off (by creating embankments or using fine mesh nets), and treated with the aforementioned farming methods to eliminate weed seeds in the field.

Furthermore, the spring crop of 2024 is forecast to have lower-than-average rainfall, and the time between two water extraction periods will be long. Therefore, the rational and economical regulation and use of water needs to be given attention by all levels, sectors, and localities right from the beginning of the season.

The time between two water withdrawal periods is long, therefore, the rational and economical regulation and use of water needs to be given attention by all levels, sectors, and localities right from the beginning of the season. (Photo: Archival image)

Ngan Huyen

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