(ĐN)- So far this year, some 531 hectares of rice fields in Dong Nai province have been attacked by the brown planthopper, reported the Provincial Plant Protection Department.
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| Illustrative image (Source: Internet) |
The infestation, with a density of 100–400 insects per square metre on average, ravaged 110 hectares of paddy in the province in one day alone, the Department said.
The two hardest hit districts were Long Thanh and Nhon Trach.
The Provincial Plant Protection Department urged local farmers to take more care on their fields and spray chemicals on affected rice fields to prevent the spreading of the insect if their fields are covered by 600 hoppers per square metre.
The brown planthopper is known as the most devastating of rice pests, as the fly-like brown insect inserts its sucking mouth into the soft tissue of plants to extract plant sap.
The result is a field that is susceptible to rust-disease.
Reported by K.M
