Using green fungus to kill brown planthoppers that harm rice
(Baonghean) - With the help of the Plant Protection Center of Region 4, farmers in Hung Phuc commune (Hung Nguyen) have successfully produced the green mushroom Metarhizium annisopliae to eradicate brown planthoppers that harm rice.
The green fungus Metarhizium annisopliae is a biological pesticide researched and transferred by the Mekong Delta Rice Research Institute to farmers in Soc Trang, Dong Thap, Kien Giang provinces... to produce and use to eradicate brown planthoppers and rice pests such as stink bugs, leaf rollers, etc. with quite high efficiency.
This is also a project recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture as a scientific advancement, with many contributions to the development of sustainable agriculture. From the success in using green mushrooms to control brown planthoppers in the Mekong Delta provinces, in the summer-autumn crop of 2011, the Plant Protection Center of Region 4 built a model to guide farmers in producing and using green mushrooms to control brown planthoppers that harm rice. 30 farming households in hamlets 6 and 7 of Hung Phuc commune participating in the model were transferred the technology and tools to produce green mushrooms Metarhizium annisopliae at home. After receiving technical training, in a short time, the households participating in the model successfully produced.
The mushrooms produced by Hung Phuc farmers were used for the first spraying during the tillering period and the second spraying during the rice panicle formation period on an area of 1 hectare in hamlets 6 and 7. The results showed that the rice area sprayed with the green mushroom Metarhizium annisopliae had a much lower rate of planthoppers and other rice pests than the control field. In the winter-spring crop of 2012, the Plant Protection Center of Zone 4 continued to provide training and technical guidance to 50 more farming households in hamlets 8 and 9 of Hung Phuc commune to produce this type of mushroom for application in the fields.
After being trained in the process and technology transfer, the farmers have started cooking and cultivating mushrooms at home. The process of producing green mushrooms is carried out in the following steps: After soaking the broken rice in water for 20 minutes, drain it and put it in plastic bags, each bag weighs 0.5 kg. To facilitate the inoculation of the original mushrooms and ventilation for the mushrooms to grow, a small plastic tube is placed on each plastic bag, covered with waterproof cotton, then tied with a rubber band. After boiling the water in the steamer, place the rice bags in and continue to boil for 2 hours, then remove them to cool and inoculate the original mushrooms.
After steaming and inoculating rice bags with root mushrooms, they are arranged in a pyramid shape in a glass cabinet that has been sterilized with an alcohol lamp. After 2-3 days, the inoculated rice bags are turned over. After 10-14 days, when the mushrooms have developed a green color, they are mixed with water and a little dishwashing liquid to spray on the rice. Each bag of mushrooms is mixed with 4 liters of water, then divided into 4 16-liter sprayers to spray on 4 sao of rice fields. After being sprayed on the fields, the green mushroom Metarhizium annisopliae will multiply its biomass in the natural environment, eliminating planthoppers and other rice pests such as leaf-end worms, stink bugs, etc. by clinging to and on the hosts. The process of "Producing green mushroom Metarhizium annisopliae on a household scale" is very simple and can be easily applied at home, because it only requires using a steamer, a self-designed inoculation cabinet, cheap raw materials such as rice or broken rice and cultivating mushrooms in normal temperature and humidity conditions indoors. Therefore, after being trained, Hung Phuc farmers successfully produced 30 bags of mushrooms, enough for the first spraying on an area of 7 hectares.
Brown planthopper is a species that can cause serious damage to the growth of rice plants. Successfully producing the green fungus Metarhizium annisopliae to replace chemicals to control planthoppers and other rice pests is an effective solution, creating clean, safe agricultural products, protecting the environment and public health. This is a new direction that needs to be further tested and widely replicated.
Thanh Tam