Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs: For winter and spring wheat and rapeseed, pest and disease control must emphasize “early intervention and small-scale treatment, with preventive measures taken at the earliest possible stage.”

Affected by above‑average temperatures, below‑normal rainfall in the Yangtze River basin, and favorable soil moisture conditions in the wheat‑growing regions of Northwest China, pest and disease outbreaks—including aphids and stripe rust—have been more severe than during the same period last year. According to monitoring across various localities, the area affected by wheat stripe rust and aphids has increased by 23.1% and 36%, respectively, compared with the previous year. In rapeseed, aphid infestations have already spread to 4.3 million mu, with pest densities generally higher than last year and locally exceeding 1,000 individuals per plant. Experts analyze that the mild winter conditions have facilitated the overwintering and epidemic development of aphids and stripe rust, suggesting that both pest and pathogen populations will be greater next spring than in the previous year, making pest and disease control a particularly challenging task.

  I. Effectively enhance awareness. The prevention and control of crop diseases and pests are directly linked to food security and the stable, sustainable production of oilseed crops. Effectively managing disease and pest outbreaks in winter and early spring for wheat and rapeseed—by reducing the initial pest and disease population—is crucial for minimizing the area affected and mitigating damage next spring. Agricultural and rural departments at all levels must fully recognize the importance of robust winter and early‑spring monitoring and control efforts. Grounded in the principle of “addressing problems early and at their outset, shifting the control threshold upstream,” they should strengthen organizational mobilization, intensify supervision and guidance, and ensure the thorough implementation of preventive measures. By firmly curbing the baseline level of pest and disease incidence, they can proactively secure a bountiful harvest by safeguarding grain yields from pest pressure next spring.

  II. Strengthen monitoring and early warning. By adopting various approaches—such as purchasing services and offering rewards for early detection—we have motivated township-level agricultural technicians, village-level plant protection workers, socialized service organizations, and large-scale farmers to actively participate in pest and disease monitoring and surveys, thereby gaining a comprehensive understanding of the incidence of wheat and rapeseed diseases and pests in the region. At the same time, focusing on major threats like stripe rust and aphids, we have conducted systematic monitoring and comprehensive, grid‑style censuses, closely tracking trends in outbreak dynamics. We promptly convene consultations and issue accurate forecasts and early warnings, clearly identifying priority targets, critical areas, and optimal timing for intervention, thus guiding producers to implement site‑specific measures and carry out timely control.

III. Promote science-based prevention and control. Focusing on reducing the initial populations of pathogens and pests, we will vigorously promote professional, unified pest management to encourage community‑wide prevention and control, and ensure effective winter and early‑spring disease and pest management. For wheat stripe rust, we will adhere to the principle of “preventing spring diseases in winter,” prioritizing overwintering and winter‑breeding areas such as the Southwest and the Han River basin, and fully implementing the measures of “monitoring with pesticides, detecting a single spot, and controlling an entire area” to maximize containment of disease spread. For aphids on wheat and rapeseed, we will adopt threshold‑based control combined with targeted treatment: in warmer regions like the Southwest where conditions are favorable for pest development, timely control should be applied to fields that meet the control threshold; in cooler areas such as the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the Huang–Huai–Hai Plain, where pests are in their overwintering stage, priority should be given to treating fields with high pest densities.

  IV. Strengthen Guidance and Services. All localities should develop targeted plans for the prevention and control of wheat and rapeseed diseases and pests during the winter and early spring, dispatch working groups and technical guidance teams to villages and households, and go directly to the production front lines to provide hands-on, face-to-face guidance. Through establishing demonstration zones, organizing field schools, and employing other approaches, they should widely disseminate and promote integrated pest and disease management techniques for wheat and rapeseed, ensuring that preventive measures are fully implemented and that effective technologies reach the fields. At the same time, they should strengthen the coordination of control‑related supplies, facilitate supply–demand matching, guarantee an adequate and appropriate supply of marketable pesticides, intensify quality inspections of pesticide products, and crack down rigorously on the manufacture and sale of counterfeit or substandard pesticides, thereby ensuring that producers have access to safe and reliable agricultural inputs.