Nghe An farmers worried about pests destroying crops

These days, Ms. Hoang Thi Lien, a farmer in Hamlet 2, Dang Son Commune (Do Luong) is busy going to the fields to take care of the crops. Ms. Lien said: “This spring, my family grows 3 sao of rice and 3 sao of corn. Last week, I went to check the fields and saw pests appearing on the rice and corn. I sprayed pesticides twice but the situation has not improved. For households that do not spray pesticides, especially on corn, the worms have already bitten and destroyed 1/3 of the corn shoots.”

Many areas of spring rice have been damaged by rice blast. Photo: Quang An

It is known that Dang Son commune is currently one of the localities where many types of pests and diseases are appearing, the most prominent of which are rice blast disease and corn armyworm. Mr. Nguyen Xuan Dinh - Head of the Dang Son commune agricultural committee said: "The whole commune has 105.6 hectares of rice and 64 hectares of corn in the strong growth period, however, many areas have appeared with serious pests and diseases. On rice, rice blast disease and thrips are spreading widely, while on corn, armyworms and fall armyworms are growing at many ages, making prevention difficult."

Currently, rice blast disease has appeared in many localities, especially on AC5 rice fields in the communes of Yen Son, Van Son, Thinh Son, Hoa Son... with a density of 7 to 10%. On the corn fields in Do Luong district, armyworms and fall armyworms have also appeared. Typically in Dang Son commune, armyworms have bitten the corn shoots on an area of ​​60 hectares of corn fields that were growing from 6 to 9 leaves. Do Luong district has directed people to urgently check their fields and spray pesticides according to the instructions of plant protection officers.

Nghe An people spray pesticides to prevent rice blast on spring rice. Photo: Quang An

In other localities such as Dien Chau and Nam Dan, these pests are also appearing. This year, the entire Dien Chau district planted 9,200 hectares of spring rice. Up to now, rice blast disease has appeared in the western communes of the district including Dien Nguyen, Dien Lien, Dien Dong... The district is recommending that people proactively spray pesticides, especially in fields using susceptible rice varieties such as AC5, NA6, VT 505, Thien Uu 8...

As for the armyworm, although it has not spread widely, it has appeared in the district's color-rich communes such as Dien Truong, Dien Hoang, Dien Hung...

Armyworms destroy many corn fields in Do Luong. Photo: Ngoc Phuong

This year, Nam Dan district has 6,800 hectares of spring rice, mainly high-quality hybrid rice varieties. Although rice blast disease has appeared sporadically in some communes, due to early preparations, the disease has not spread significantly.

Regarding the development of rice blast disease, Mr. Nguyen Tien Duc - Head of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection advised: "The cloudy weather is a favorable condition for rice blast disease to develop strongly, especially in the rice fields that are sown and tillering. Therefore, farmers need to regularly visit the fields, apply balanced fertilizers, and keep water in the fields properly; for sown fields, it is necessary to thin out the fields. When detecting rice blast disease on the leaves, it is necessary to use pesticides promptly. Pay attention to the 4 right principles when spraying: right medicine, right time, right dosage and right method."

Staff of the Do Luong District Plant Protection Station check for armyworms on corn fields. Photo: Ngoc Phuong