Rice blast disease outbreak in spring rice crop in Dien Chau.

(Baonghean.vn) - Currently, the spring rice crop in Dien Chau is in the tillering stage and has broken out in rice blast disease, causing damage to some areas. With a proactive approach to early control, Dien Chau district is directing intensive spraying to prevent widespread outbreaks.

Rice blast disease causes leaf blight.

In Dien Thai commune, although the disease has only appeared for 3 days, rice blast has already caused many rice fields to become stunted, unable to grow, and start to burn. Due to its rapid spread, after inspecting the fields and discovering the disease, the district's Plant Protection Station and the Dien Thai commune's agricultural extension committee organized a training session and proceeded with spraying to control the affected areas. Mr. Cao Van Huyen, Head of the Dien Thai Agricultural Extension Committee, said: The agricultural extension committee regularly inspects the fields to detect pests and diseases early, and announces it through the commune's broadcasting system so that members can spray preventively in a timely manner, limiting the spread of the disease.

Farmers are focusing on spraying to control rice blast disease.

Recently, due to warm weather conditions, early morning fog, and the rice plants' transitional growth period, rice blast disease has easily spread. Starting in early March, rice blast outbreaks affected nearly 20 hectares scattered across the communes of Dien Thai, Dien Nguyen, Dien Dong, Dien Cat, and Dien Lien. The disease mainly affected fragrant rice varieties, most notably BC 15, AC5, and Khai Phong 1. Upon detecting the disease, Dien Chau district issued a directive instructing communes to implement disease control measures. Plant protection officers also directly inspected the fields, guiding farmers on control measures. For infected rice fields, farmers were instructed to stop applying nitrogen fertilizer, refrain from spraying growth stimulants and foliar fertilizers, and maintain water levels in the fields.

Mr. Le The Hieu, Head of the Dien Chau Plant Protection Station, said: Currently, rice blast disease has appeared in Dien Chau district's spring rice crop on susceptible varieties such as AC 5, BC 15, and Khai Phong 1. According to the Plant Protection Station's investigation, the infected area is nearly 20 hectares. The disease is scattered in several areas, and combined with farmers applying fertilizer to encourage tillering, the rice blast disease could spread widely. Given this situation, the Plant Protection Station has advised the District People's Committee to issue a directive on pest and disease control. Dien Chau district's view is that early control is crucial to prevent adverse effects on rice plant development. The pesticides we recommend are mainly those that have been proven effective in the fields, such as Beam 75WP and Filia 525SE. Based on this, the Dien Chau Plant Protection Station recommends spraying according to the instructions, using sufficient water (16 liters or more per sao to ensure even absorption of the pesticide by the rice leaves and maximum control).

The Dien Thai Agricultural Extension Board and the Plant Protection Station are guiding farmers on how to prevent and control rice blast disease.

With its rapid spread, rice blast disease can develop on dozens of hectares every day, causing rice plants to wither, leaves to burn, and leading to a serious reduction in yield, or even total crop failure. Despite its severe damage, if detected early and treated promptly, the rice plants can recover and grow normally. Therefore, farmers need to actively inspect their fields to take timely action.

Mai Giang