Nguyen Duc Duong notes: "'Màng rap' is 'a common folk term referring to a type of planthopper that sucks sap from rice leaves, causing the leaves to turn black and preventing them from developing panicles.'"
The first part is acceptable, but the second part, as explained by the author of the Vietnamese Proverbs Dictionary, shows a lack of understanding of the growth habits and harmful effects of the insect pest.
Rice planthoppers never "suck sap from rice leaves." Firstly, sap (the nutrient for rice plant growth) is not concentrated in the leaves but in the stem and leaf sheath. Secondly, planthoppers don't attack rice plants in a "sudden attack" ("rushing to suck sap") like sparrows or other birds; instead, they migrate directly to the field, lay eggs, reproduce, and create successive generations (known as overlapping planthopper generations), sucking sap from the lower part of the rice stem. Therefore, when spraying insecticide, farmers must divide the rice into strips and direct the spray nozzle to the base of the rice plant so that the insecticide comes into direct contact with the planthoppers, rather than spraying on the surface of the leaves.
Rice planthoppers damage rice plants throughout their growth process, from seedling stage to maturity, not just during the heading or flowering stages. Severe planthopper infestations can cause rice plants to dry out and die, turning yellow as if scorched by fire. This is known in agriculture as "planthopper burn" (not "causing leaves to turn black and preventing heading" or "difficulty flowering" as some dictionary compilers explain). Leaf-damaging planthoppers are usually brown planthoppers or white-backed planthoppers. The type of planthopper that "causes leaves to turn black" is actually the black aphid. These aphids suck plant sap, and their waste is then processed by a symbiotic fungus into a black powdery substance that covers the leaves, hence the name black aphid. Black aphids typically infest dryland crops such as fruit trees, sugarcane, bananas, oranges, and tangerines, not paddy rice.
It is evident that correctly interpreting proverbs, folk songs, or folk terms related to agriculture requires not only linguistic inference but also practical knowledge of biology and farming experience. Even a single incorrect detail about the behavior of pests can lead to a misinterpretation of an entire proverb. This is a common limitation in some current dictionary compilations: writers may be skilled in language but lack life experience and practical knowledge of rural life and agricultural production – the very environment in which Vietnamese folk proverbs originate and are passed down.
Man Nong (Contributor)
Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/ve-cau-tuc-ngu-ga-ki-nbsp-ho-mang-lua-ki-mang-rap-287386.htm
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