Nghia Dan: Focus on preventing pests and diseases in rice and sugarcane

(Baonghean) -On September 9, we were present in Nghia Dan district - where 1,800 hectares of winter-spring rice were damaged by pests and 500 hectares of sugarcane were damaged by white cotton aphids. Walking on the fields along the communes of Nghia Thinh, Nghia Khanh, Nghia Loc, Nghia Hoi, Nghia Thang, Nghia Trung..., we could not help but feel sad because the green color of the rice plants in the flowering period is now gradually replaced by yellow, even many rice fields have been burned dry by brown planthoppers and white-backed planthoppers.

In Nghia Trung commune, the entire 301 ha of rice cultivation area was infected with pests, people were discouraged and worried about a possible crop failure. Mr. Nguyen Long An - Vice Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, shared: I have been a local official for 7 years, but this is the first time I have witnessed rice being severely damaged by pests. After 1 month of planting, the first generation of leaf rollers appeared in the commune. On August 24, the second generation of leaf rollers appeared along with white-backed planthoppers, stem borers and some brown spot diseases. In early September, people discovered that about 5% of the rice area was yellow and burnt. The Commune People's Committee immediately reported to the Plant Protection Station, the District Department of Agriculture, and at the same time summoned the Agricultural Cooperative, the Production Steering Committee and 22 hamlet chiefs to deploy the work of the whole people to destroy brown planthoppers and other pests on rice plants. The Commune People's Committee supported people with 2,000 VND/sao to buy pesticides. Nghia Trung Agricultural Cooperative also supported people with 3,000 VND/sao. The Commune People's Committee assigned the Cooperative the responsibility of purchasing pesticides from the Plant Protection Station to provide services to farmers, to spray simultaneously on three days, September 8, 9, and 10, with the determination "while there is life, there is hope".

Farmers in Nghia Trung commune make efforts to kill pests to save rice.

Hopefully, the concentrated spraying campaign over 3 days will help save some of the rice crop from the risk of severe crop failure. For leaf rollers and stem borers, the destruction effect is clearly visible. However, currently, white-backed planthoppers and brown planthoppers have appeared with very high density of 500-750 individuals/m2, locally in some fields the density is 2,000-3,000 individuals/m2, making it very difficult to handle. If not handled promptly in the next 3-7 days, the rice will be damaged. Especially during this period, the rainy weather reduces the concentration of the pesticide, in addition to the anxiety of the people. Many families in Nghia Trung commune have suffered from pests and diseases that have damaged 40-60% of the rice area. It is estimated that the total area of ​​the commune will suffer a crop failure of about 50%.

Ms. Tran Thi Thanh - Hamlet 6, Nghia Trung Commune, lamented: My family grew 7 sao of rice, now 3 sao have been lost due to brown planthoppers burning. The remaining 4 sao have fresh rice but the leaves are burnt. After spraying many types of pesticides: leaf rollers, stem borers, white-backed planthoppers, brown planthoppers but they were not effective. My family has sprayed pesticides for the 6th time, spending nearly 600 thousand VND on pesticides but the rice leaves are still yellow, pests are still damaging.

In addition to the rice area, Nghia Trung commune grows 361 hectares of sugarcane, and up to now 70-80% of the sugarcane area has been infected with white cotton aphids. The commune People's Committee has directed people to actively spray pesticides to kill the aphids. However, after killing the aphids on the outer leaves, 4-5 days later another aphid outbreak appears on the inner leaves, making sugarcane growers worried.

Mr. Vu Anh Tuan - Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture of Nghia Dan district, said: In the 2011 Winter-Spring crop, the total rice production area of ​​the district was 2,800 hectares, up to now 1,800 hectares have been damaged by pests, mainly by brown planthoppers. Of which 1,000 hectares were slightly damaged, 800 hectares were moderately to severely damaged by pests. In the face of widespread pests, the district People's Committee has issued many documents directing localities to prevent and control them; the district Plant Protection Station has informed people to use special drugs, spraying at the right ratio. Currently, it is the rainy season, many times after spraying pesticides, it rains, causing the concentration of the drugs to decrease, making the effect less effective. Many families have sprayed pesticides up to 7 times but still not effective. This stage is when the rice is forming panicles and flowering, which is also the time when it concentrates the most nutrients, making it susceptible to pests. If it cannot be controlled, it will greatly affect the yield and quality of rice. With the motto "while there is life, there is hope", the People's Committee of Nghia Dan district has decided to support people with money for pesticides, with an estimated budget of 300 million VND. In addition, the rice plants are also affected by brown spot and leaf blight, making pest control more difficult. Hopefully, with the efforts of authorities at all levels and the people to control the epidemic, the area of ​​rice with severe crop failure will be minimized.

In addition, on the total sugarcane growing area of ​​nearly 700 hectares of the district, up to now, more than 500 hectares of sugarcane have been damaged by white cotton aphids, concentrated in the communes of Nghia Duc, Nghia Mai, Nghia Hung, Nghia Trung... Although white cotton aphids do not kill sugarcane, when they cause damage, they greatly affect the sugar content and reduce sugarcane yield. To limit the damage caused by white cotton aphids, the district Plant Protection Station has recommended and instructed farmers to regularly weed and remove old leaves to create airy sugarcane fields. Areas infected with white cotton aphids should stop fertilizing with nitrogen and increase the application of potassium fertilizer.

Quynh Lan