Actively care for and protect the winter-spring rice crop

Localities in the province are focusing on caring for and pruning the winter-spring rice crop. To protect the winter-spring rice crop from growing well, achieving high productivity and quality, the agricultural sector has actively coordinated with localities to guide farmers in taking measures to care for, prevent and control harmful pests and diseases.

Staff of Dong Hung District Plant Protection and Cultivation Station check for pests and diseases in the fields.

Currently, the early season rice crop in Kien Xuong district is in the final tillering stage, the mass tillering stage to the intensive tillering stage. A few areas affected by natural disasters that had to be replanted are recovering and tillering. The weather conditions at the beginning of the season are unfavorable, with alternating rain and sunshine, and heavy rainfall affecting the growth and development of rice. At the same time, it is also a favorable condition for pests and diseases to arise and cause damage such as stem borers, rats, leaf rollers, and especially the black-striped dwarf disease.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Thinh, Head of the District Plant Cultivation and Plant Protection Station, said: The station has issued notices and instructions on care, prevention and control of pests and diseases for the winter-spring rice crop. Accordingly, for early-season and main-season rice fields that have been growing and developing well, it is necessary to apply top dressing and potassium fertilizer from August 10 to 25. Short-term varieties and good early fields need to apply fertilizer at the beginning of the schedule, and long-term and poor varieties need to apply fertilizer at the end of the schedule. For replanted areas, farmers need to continue pruning, top dressing, choosing high-quality fertilizers, applying the right amount and quantity as recommended. In addition, the station has taken samples of white-backed planthoppers for testing, and the results showed that some planthopper samples were positive for black-striped dwarf virus. The disease appears sporadically, we recommend that cooperatives guide farmers to check their fields when rice plants and rice clumps show symptoms of short, stunted plants, twisted leaves, dark green color, and inverted roots. They need to notify local authorities or specialized agencies. When determining that rice plants and rice clumps are infected, it is necessary to destroy the infected rice plants and spray to prevent and control white-backed planthoppers in the infected rice area.

Up to now, the rice fields have basically grown and developed well, early rice fields are in the stage of panicle differentiation to panicle formation, the mass summer-autumn rice fields are in the stage of intensive tillering to the end of tillering, some areas affected by rain and flooding have to be replanted and thinned at the stage of rooting and greening. To ensure that the summer-autumn rice fields grow and develop well, the agricultural sector recommends that localities propagate and instruct farmers to focus on care and reasonable water regulation. For areas of thinned and replanted rice fields with slow growth and development, it is necessary to urgently apply fertilizer in a timely manner, at the same time keep the water shallow on the field surface, creating conditions for the rice to tiller to the maximum; drain the water and dry the field when the rice fields finish tillering so that the roots can grow deeply and prevent lodging well at the end of the crop; Rice fields entering the panicle differentiation stage should urgently apply additional potassium fertilizer, the amount of fertilizer is 2 - 4 kg/sao to help the plant increase its resistance to external conditions and facilitate the flower bud differentiation process, contributing to increasing the yield of the winter-spring rice crop.

It is expected that by September 5, the whole province will have over 20,000 hectares of early-season rice in bloom. On the other hand, according to forecasts from professional agencies and field inspections, the two-spotted stem borer is at risk of emerging early, causing serious damage to the fields from the beginning of August, creating many peaks in August. In Dong Hung, the density of adult two-spotted stem borer in the 4th generation is high in places from 0.1 - 0.3 individuals/m ² , in some places 1 - 2 individuals/m ² ; egg nests in some places are 0.3 - 0.5 nests/m ² , in some places 1 - 2 nests/m ² .

Ms. Vu Thi Nhue, Head of the District Plant Cultivation and Plant Protection Station, said: The fourth generation of two-spotted stem borers appeared early with very high density. If not prevented and controlled in time, they will cause silver bloom on the rice area that is flowering from August to early September, causing severe ear and stem scorching in areas with high pest density, areas near villages, areas near light, and near wasteland areas. Communes with high pest density this time: Do Luong, Dong Xa, Dong Cac, Dong Xuan, Dong Duong, Ha Giang, Dong Vinh... The station has announced and instructed on prevention and control of two-spotted stem borers and launched a spraying period from September 6 to 9 for rice areas that are flowering before September 5. Because the spraying time for two-spotted stem borer this year is much earlier than average, it is recommended that localities actively propagate through many forms of propaganda so that people can grasp the pest situation, focus on preventing and eliminating the right objects and areas according to the recommendations of professional agencies.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thanh, Deputy Head of the Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection, said: It is expected that about 25,000 - 30,000 hectares of winter-spring rice, concentrated in the districts of Hung Ha, Dong Hung, Quynh Phu, Thai Thuy, and Vu Thu, will need to spray pesticides to prevent and control the two-spotted stem borer. The Department has advised the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to issue an official dispatch on the care, prevention and control of pests and diseases, and at the same time requested the cultivation and plant protection stations of districts and cities to urgently delineate areas with high density of two-spotted stem borers and other pests that need to be prevented and controlled; and guide farmers on technical measures to prevent and control and limit damage caused by pests and diseases.