Golden apple snails destroy spring rice on a large scale in Quynh Luu

This spring crop, the entire Quynh Luu district planted 7,500 hectares of rice. Because people wanted to finish their farming work early to have time to enjoy the Spring Festival, most of them went to the fields to plant rice before Tet. Up to now, thanks to the warm and sunny weather, the rice has grown well and entered the tillering stage.

However, this is also a condition for some pests to cause harm. In particular, in some deep-lying fields, golden apple snails have appeared to damage spring rice.

Many rice fields were left white after being planted because the rice had been eaten by golden apple snails. Photo: Thanh Toan

In Lao field in Quynh Hong commune, many rice fields have been completely bitten by golden apple snails, with an average density of 20 - 30 snails/m2, and in some places, snails are concentrated up to hundreds per m2.

Ms. Dang Thi Nga, a resident in village 5, Quynh Hong commune, is urgently catching golden apple snails in her rice field. She said: This spring, her family planted more than 4 sao of Thai Xuyen and Thieu Uu 986 rice varieties, but the rice had not yet taken root when golden apple snails bit the plants, almost covering the entire rice field.

Besides the damage caused by golden apple snails, many rice fields have also been damaged by rats. Photo: Thanh Toan

Currently, farmers in the communes of Quynh Ba, Quynh Giang, Quynh Dien, Quynh Hau... are also urgently going to the fields to kill golden apple snails to protect the newly planted spring rice.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong in Hamlet 7, Quynh Ba Commune is worried: Because the rice seedlings are still young, golden apple snails have appeared before Tet and bit the roots, killing the rice. This year, the family planted 6 sao of rice, but the golden apple snails have almost destroyed it all. They have already bitten and re-bitten it 5 times, but the seedlings were planted before Tet, so we don't know where to get them to replace them.

Farmers in Quynh Luu go to the fields to plant spring rice. Photo: Thanh Toan

Mr. Dau Duc Nam - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Quynh Luu district said: The situation of golden apple snails destroying rice is mainly concentrated in low-lying areas or around ponds. To effectively prevent and destroy golden apple snails, farmers need to collect eggs and golden apple snails in fields, ditches, and stream banks to destroy them; make nets when letting water into the fields; pay attention to opening water ditches in the fields so that snails gather in the ditches to create favorable conditions for collection and destruction; and plant stakes in flooded areas and ditches to attract snails to lay eggs and collect them easily.

Farmers are advised to limit the use of pesticides to ensure health and environmental hygiene. At the same time, farmers should also actively visit the fields to detect and prevent other pests and diseases to ensure good growth and development of spring rice./.