The National Agricultural Technology Center has organized a nationwide survey to assess the overwintering populations of major crop pests and diseases.

Release Date:

2023-12-07

　To comprehensively assess the pre-winter population levels of crop diseases and pests and to improve forecasts of their interannual trends, the National Agricultural Technology Extension Center has coordinated plant protection agencies at all levels to conduct surveys on overwintering pest populations. From late October to early December, three expert teams were dispatched to the agro-pastoral regions of North China and Northeast China, the main autumn‑seedling‑infestation areas of Northwest China, and the winter‑breeding zones of Southwest China to carry out field investigations, thereby further clarifying the status of the grass cutworm, Wheat The overwintering distribution ranges, key areas, and initial population levels of major pests and diseases such as stripe rust, the fall armyworm, and rice stem borers.
　　The expert group conducted on-site surveys in two cities and three counties (districts or banners) in Inner Mongolia, three cities (prefectures) and four counties (districts) in Gansu, two cities (prefectures) and four counties (districts) in Qinghai, and four cities (prefectures) and seven counties (districts) in Yunnan, examining more than 100 field plots across various habitats and on different host crops. Combining these findings with self-assessments from other overwintering regions and the results of exchanges and discussions, they have tentatively concluded that, during the winter of 2023, the grass cutworm in the Three-North region and in the Northwest region… Wheat The initial pest populations of stripe rust and other diseases remained slightly below the long-term average, while those of fall armyworm and rice stem borers in the southwestern winter-breeding region were relatively high. First, in the northern three‑north agro‑pastoral zone, both the overwintering area and the total overwintering pest population were the lowest in the past decade. Field surveys of eight plots in areas where first‑generation larvae had reoccurred revealed only live overwintering pupae in Keshiketeng Banner, Inner Mongolia, with a pupal density of 4–13 individuals per square meter and a live‑pupal rate of less than 20%. Second, in the main autumn‑seedling‑infesting region of Northwest China… Wheat Stripe rust is widespread but relatively mild; overall disease severity is greater than last year but lower than the long-term average. Among the 78 fields surveyed, the incidence rate was 61.5%, with most fields showing only sporadic outbreaks. However, in Xiangbulu Village, Tianjiahe Township, Weiyuan County, Gansu Province, certain localized plots exhibited an average disease‑leaf rate of 20%. In Chada Village and Yangjia Village, Hedong Township, Guide County, Qinghai Province, some specific plots showed an average disease‑leaf rate of 2%–3%, a 100% incidence rate, and an average severity of 30%–60%. Thirdly, in the southwestern winter breeding region, the fall armyworm enjoys a broad suitable habitat, feeds on numerous host plants, and maintains a high baseline population; field surveys of more than ten plots… Corn Damage was observed on rice plants at the seedling, booting, tasseling, and heading stages. In fields where no control measures were applied, the incidence of infested plants exceeded 80%; in particular, in Mantan Village, Zhengdong Town, Jiangcheng County, Yuxi City, the incidence reached 100% in plots left unmanaged, with more than 100 borers per 100 plants. Fourth, in the southwestern winter‑breeding region, rice stem borers occur in mixed populations; field surveys of 10 rice fields all detected borer activity, primarily associated with parasitic volunteer rice and stubble. Notably, in Niuluohe Village, Jiangcheng County, Yunnan, and Manguo Village, Menghai County, the dominant species were the two‑spotted stem borer and the large stem borer, with 10–20 borers per 100 plants.

Source: JinNong.com’s JinNong Account Self-Media Center Author: Pest and Disease Monitoring Division, National Agricultural Technology Extension Center

Tags:

An expert review meeting for two agricultural industry standards, including the “Guidelines for the Safe Use of Household Hygienic Insecticides,” was held in Beijing.

It has been clarified: If a chemical industrial park falls into any of eight specified situations, it will be directly classified as a high‑risk safety level.

More information

The National Agricultural Technology Center has issued guidelines on “one spray, three protections” for wheat to address the heightened risk of recurrent outbreaks of Fusarium head blight, stripe rust, and aphids.

2026-04-10

The petrochemical and chemical industries comprise more than 27,000 large-scale production enterprises—efforts to upgrade and retrofit aging facilities are being further intensified.

2026-04-06

In 2026, corn borer, cotton bollworm, and ear rot—among other corn pests and diseases—are expected to occur at a relatively severe level. The National Agricultural Technology Center has issued a control plan!

2026-04-02

Address:

No. 1, No. 1, New District Road No. 1, Gaocheng District, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province