Focus on pest control in winter-spring rice

(QNO) - Currently, rats and some dangerous pests are emerging and causing damage to winter-spring rice in localities of the province. Farmers need to closely monitor their fields to proactively implement effective prevention measures to minimize damage.

Duy Xuyen farmers catch golden apple snails in young rice fields. Photo: PV — Farmers in many places gather to catch golden apple snails that damage young rice fields. Photo: PV

According to the plan, in the 2023-2024 winter-spring crop, farmers in 18 districts, towns and cities of Quang Nam will produce a total of 41,500 hectares of rice. Up to now, farmers have sown 41,009 hectares, mainly with good quality medium- and short-term rice varieties such as Thien Uu 8, TBR225, HT1, HN6, DT100, Ha Phat 3, VNR20, TBR1... The remaining 491 hectares of unsown rice are concentrated in Dai Loc and 6 mountainous districts.

Of the 41,009 hectares of rice that have been sown, 37,884 hectares have proactive irrigation and 3,125 hectares depend on rainwater. Currently, rice is proactively irrigated during the early seedling stage - seedling, tillering, and intensive tillering; while rainwater rice is in the seedling - tillering stage, and early rice is intensive tillering - standing.

At the beginning of the season, many localities in Dien Ban town mobilized people to kill thousands of rats. Photo: PV

It is worth mentioning that although at the beginning of the season, the professional sector and local authorities mobilized farmers to launch many campaigns to exterminate rats (15,265 were caught in Dai Loc and Dien Ban alone), in recent days, this dangerous creature has still appeared and caused harm in many fields.

Speaking to reporters of Quang Nam Newspaper this morning, January 22, Mr. Le Cong Nguyen - Deputy Director of Que Son Agricultural Technical Center said that rats are currently causing damage to 180 sao of young rice in the eastern part of the district, including Huong An town and the communes of Que Xuan 1, Que Phu, and Que Xuan 2.

“Our unit is actively coordinating with local authorities to focus on guiding and supporting farmers to synchronously and effectively implement measures to prevent rats and dangerous pests on winter-spring rice before - during - after Tet Giap Thin to minimize damage,” said Mr. Nguyen.

Farmers in the eastern part of Que Son district actively visit their fields to proactively prevent pests on winter-spring rice. Photo: PV

According to the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection of Quang Nam, since the beginning of the winter-spring crop, the situation of rats eating seeds on newly sown rice and destroying young rice has occurred in most localities. According to statistics, the whole province has 106 hectares of rice damaged by rats with an average rate of 5-10%. Of which, Dien Ban, Duy Xuyen, Thang Binh, Tam Ky are the 4 localities with the largest area.

Not only rats, recently golden apple snails have appeared and damaged 72.5 hectares of winter-spring rice in the young seedling stage in many places of the province with an average density of 1-3 snails/m2, in some places up to 5 snails/m2.

Meanwhile, thrips are scattered in irrigated rice fields with an average density of 500-700 individuals/m2, and in high places 1,500-2,000 individuals/m2. To date, the total area of rice infected with thrips is 6.5 hectares, mainly concentrated in Hiep Duc district.

In Duy Xuyen, Hiep Duc, Phu Ninh, Nong Son and some other places, 3.2 hectares of rice have been damaged by rice stem borers. In addition, leaf rollers, armyworms, rice leafrollers, rice stem borers, etc. have appeared in many localities.

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