Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs: Control losses from major pests and diseases affecting autumn grain crops to within 5%.

According to the website of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, a national on-site conference on the prevention and control of major pests and diseases affecting autumn grain crops was held in Changsha County, Hunan Province, on August 19–20. The meeting analyzed and assessed the current situation regarding the occurrence of these threats and further outlined plans for preventive measures. The conference stressed the critical importance of effectively managing crop pests and diseases, calling for intensified efforts and rigorous implementation of control measures to ensure that losses from major pest and disease outbreaks in autumn grain crops are kept below 5 percent, thereby securing a bountiful harvest and paving the way for a moderately prosperous year.

The meeting concluded that the outlook for major pests and diseases affecting this year’s autumn grain crops is far from optimistic. In particular, the “two‑migration” rice pests pose a high risk of resurgence in southeastern and eastern Southwest China, the Jiangnan region, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and the Jianghuai rice‑growing area, while the fall armyworm faces a heightened risk of re‑emergence in southern regions cultivating autumn corn and in northern areas with late‑planted corn—both developments warrant close attention.

The meeting stressed the need to promptly and effectively implement measures for the prevention and control of major diseases and pests affecting autumn grain crops, ensuring that “four areas are strengthened and four aspects are fully in place.”

First, strengthen mobilization and deployment to ensure that organizational efforts are fully in place. Agricultural departments and plant protection agencies at all levels must prioritize the prevention and control of major pests and diseases affecting autumn grain crops, fully leveraging the role of administrative leadership in organizing and mobilizing resources, coordinating command, and providing oversight and guidance. Responsibility for pest and disease management must be assigned at every level to ensure the smooth implementation of control measures.

Second, strengthen monitoring and survey efforts to ensure timely forecasting and early warning. On the one hand, we must leverage the role of national regional stations for monitoring and reporting major crop pests and diseases, conducting systematic surveillance, maintaining close oversight, and submitting timely reports on the dynamics of major pest and disease outbreaks in autumn‑harvested crops, thereby ensuring unimpeded information channels and real‑time data sharing. On the other hand, we should comprehensively intensify field surveys to accurately assess trends in the occurrence of major pests and diseases, identify priority targets for control, pinpoint critical areas, and determine optimal timing for intervention, thus providing scientifically sound guidance for prevention and management measures.

Third, strengthen integrated pest management to ensure effective control. We must fully leverage the role of specialized service organizations and vigorously implement the “five‑unified” approach: unified organization and mobilization, unified technical protocols, unified supply of pesticides, unified application schedules, and unified control operations. At the same time, we will seamlessly integrate integrated pest management with green pest‑control practices, promote the widespread adoption of eco‑friendly technologies, give priority to highly effective, low‑risk, crop‑specific pesticide formulations, and substantially elevate the scientific rigor of pest‑management efforts.

Fourth, strengthen supervision and guidance to ensure that all measures are fully implemented. Employ diverse approaches and leverage multiple channels to disseminate and popularize key technologies for the prevention and control of major pests and diseases affecting autumn grain crops. Establish a system of area‑specific responsibility and on‑site oversight, dispatching highly skilled teams to villages and field stations during critical periods, and providing hands‑on, face‑to‑face training and technical guidance at the production frontlines, thereby guaranteeing that preventive and control measures are effectively put into practice and that cutting‑edge techniques reach the fields.

The meeting called for addressing the frequent and recurring outbreaks of crop diseases and pests by comprehensively implementing the Regulations on the Prevention and Control of Crop Diseases and Pests, strengthening the plant protection system, and expediting the establishment of a workforce dedicated to ensuring the long-term, sustainable control of such threats.

Source: Global Times