Nearly 100 hectares of white rice with dry tops in Nghia Dan

Some rice fields have white flowers in Nghia Thinh commune (Nghia Dan). Photo: Duc Anh

The model field is located in Hamlet 8, Nghia Thinh Commune, using Thai Xuyen rice variety. At the beginning of the season, the entire rice area grew well, but since the rice started to bloom, the tips of the rice flowers started to turn white, accounting for about 1/3 of the rice flowers; the tips were dry and did not set seeds.

Mr. Nguyen Ba Thang in Hamlet 8, Nghia Thinh Commune has 3 sao of rice cultivated here. In recent days, he often visits the fields and sees that every house has white spots on the rice.

Mr. Thang said: My family's rice belongs to a large model field, fertilized according to the district's agricultural extension technical process. Up to now, the rice has bloomed and is green in 60% of the area, but about 20 - 30% of it has no grain, affecting the yield.

Staff of Nghia Thinh Cooperative monitor the disease progression. Photo: Ngoc Linh

The phenomenon of 1/3 of the rice flowers drying out and turning white not only appeared in Mr. Thang’s family’s rice field but also in the entire rice area of ​​nearly 100 hectares in Nghia Thinh. This is the first time this phenomenon has appeared in Nghia Thinh.

Mr. Vo Quang Niem - Director of Nghia Thinh Agricultural Service Cooperative said: Currently, it is the time when rice is blooming, the previously planted areas are often 1/3 dry and white, the later planted areas are developing normally.The phenomenon of drying and not giving seeds or empty seeds in the infected cotton will affect the yield but there is still no solution to handle it.

According to the Plant Protection and Seed Station of Nghia Dan district, this is a phenomenon when the rice flowers differentiate and are about to bloom, encountering cold weather, so these flowers will produce empty flowers. Currently, the Station is sending staff to monitor the developments to guide people on how to take care of them.