Acacia moth outbreak for the first time in Nghe An
(Baonghean.vn) - This is the first time that this pest has broken out severely in Nghe An's acacia forests. Control is very difficult due to many reasons. Meanwhile, from mid-May onwards, the second generation of larvae is likely to appear at high density, causing widespread damage.
First outbreak in Tan Ky district
After only a few days, several hectares of acacia trees belonging to Mr. Nguyen Dinh Hien’s family in Nghia Hanh commune (Tan Ky) were completely eaten by worms. Many acacia gardens of other households in Nguyen Trai hamlet were in the same situation. After eating all the leaves, the worms burrowed into the ground to prepare for a new generation. “This is the first time we have seen this type of worm appear. The acacia trees are tall and located on hills, so we don’t know how to spray them,” Mr. Nguyen Dinh Hien worriedly said.
Since mid-April, the worms have been eating acacia leaves at a density of up to hundreds of worms per tree, causing defoliation. About 31 hectares of acacia forests of 11 households have been damaged, mainly acacia trees planted for 1-4 years, of which over 30 hectares of acacia trees from 2-4 years old have been completely defoliated by worms. According to Mr. Nguyen Van Trinh - Deputy Director of the District Agricultural Service Center, the most difficult task is to investigate and detect them so that timely treatment can be carried out.
"Tan Ky has a large forest area, with over 16,000 hectares of acacia, mainly located in high mountainous areas. With a small number of specialized staff, it is impossible to cover all the outbreaks of pests and diseases in a timely manner. Meanwhile, people may not detect them in time or even see them but do not report them immediately for timely handling. Sometimes the pests appear and cause damage for dozens of days before we receive information." The strange leaf-eating worm in Nghia Hanh commune is a new species that has appeared in the area, causing high density and severe damage, possibly killing acacia trees, but people do not have experience in preventing and controlling them.
Risk of occurrence at high density, causing widespread damage
Depending on the time, Nghe An has an area of raw acacia forest ranging from 140,000 to 180,000 hectares. Mr. Phan Duy Hai - Deputy Head of the Provincial Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection said:Acacia caterpillar isWidely distributed species, causing damage to many different types of crops. In recent years, the area of concentrated acacia plantation has increased, and inchworms have also tended to become the main pest that damages forests, causing great destruction and damage.
Currently, the first generation of adult worms is emerging and laying eggs in large numbers. It is predicted that in the coming time, the first and second generation of larvae will be abundant between May 15 and 25; the second generation of larvae is likely to appear at high density, causing widespread damage from late May to June 2024. If eaten by inchworms once, the acacia tree can recover, but if eaten by worms 2 or more times, the tree will not be able to recover and will die.
Mr. Phan Duy Hai - Deputy Head of Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection of Nghe An province
To proactively detect, prevent and minimize damage caused by cutworms to raw glue production, do not letoutbreakOn a large scale, localities, relevant agencies and forest owners need to focus on investigating, detecting and promptly and effectively surrounding and preventing areas with high worm density and the potential to cause defoliation.
In particular, regularly apply forest care and sanitation measures according to the issued technical process. For forests 3 years old or older, it is necessary to conduct comprehensive vegetation sanitation, limiting the dry carpet layer around the tree base. At the same time, use biological pesticides containing Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria such as Bitadin WG, Delfin WG, Thuricide HP, Enasin 32WP... or drugs with biological active ingredients such as Abametin, Emamectin benzoate... at the recommended dose for early spraying when most larvae are at age 1 to age 3.
In particular, because forest trees have high canopies, to ensure effectiveness, when spraying pesticides, local forest owners need to coordinate to use powder sprayers or drones to spray evenly over the entire canopy. "Forestraw glue"In large areas, the work of estimating, forecasting and taking preventive measures is difficult, so the People's Committees of districts need to consider support policies for units and forest owners to prevent and control pests in areas with high density of pests and high risk of causing serious damage," said Mr. Phan Duy Hai.
