Nghe An: 'Fall armyworm' appears, seriously damaging corn plants, no pesticides yet

Corn plants are being damaged by the "fall armyworm". Photo: Dinh Ha

This summer-autumn crop, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa in Hamlet 2, Thanh Duong Commune, Thanh Chuong District planted 5 sao of corn and despite the drought, it still grew well; however, recently a new type of worm appeared, seriously damaging the corn and very difficult to control. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa said, "I sprayed pesticide 3 times but the worm still did not die."

Fall armyworms are orange, brown or black in color and shaped like an upside-down "y", with small dots arranged in a trapezoid shape on most of the dorsal segments, and dots on the second last segment from the tail arranged in a square shape. Photo: Dinh Ha

Ms. Hoa's corn field is one of many corn areas in Thanh Duong commune in particular and Thanh Chuong district in general damaged by this "fall armyworm".

According to Mr. Nguyen Tien Duc - Head of the Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection, the whole province has now planted over 3,000 hectares of summer-autumn corn, but all of them are infected with this new type of worm (temporarily called "fall armyworm"), of which 700 hectares are very heavily infected.

Set sweet and sour butterfly traps to prevent "fall armyworms". Photo: Dinh Ha

"Fall armyworm" has appeared not only in Thanh Chuong but also throughout the province. While waiting for a cheaper and more effective medicine, people need to visit their fields regularly to catch butterflies and kill worms to protect their crops.

Mr. Nguyen Tien Duc - Head of Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection

To find a specific medicine, the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection is setting traps to catch butterflies, both to limit the butterflies from laying eggs in the environment and to study the biological characteristics of the "fall armyworm". At the same time, it is recommended that when spraying pesticides, farmers should cover the source of the pesticide directly on the corn shoots from top to bottom to be effective (due to the characteristics of this type of worm, which resides in corn shoots).

Many summer-autumn corn fields in Thanh Chuong district and other localities in Nghe An are being damaged by the "fall armyworm". Photo: Dinh Ha

"Fall armyworm" is an insect originating from Africa, causing damage to agriculture worldwide, damaging crops such as corn, cassava, sugarcane, potatoes, etc. This worm only grows in tropical and semi-tropical regions. It was discovered in Nghe An in March 2019 and has damaged many corn fields in the whole province. The worm has identifying characteristics such as an orange, brown or black head and an inverted Y shape, with small dots arranged in a trapezoid shape on most of the dorsal segments, the dots on the second last segment from the tail are arranged in a square shape, it damages most parts of the corn plant such as leaves, buds, fruits, etc. Due to its short life cycle and rapid development, it can completely damage corn fields. The most dangerous thing is that this worm is resistant to all common pesticides.