This year, the first battle of 'insect rations for food' was successful

In January this year, the cross-border migratory insect moth Spodoptera exigua invaded China for the first time, which posed a direct threat to China's food production. Pan Wenbo, director of the Planting Management Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Areas, said at a press conference held by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Areas this afternoon that the first battle for the prevention and control of noctuid moth in grassland was successful this year. At present, a large area of maize harvested in the South and Maize in the north will be harvested soon after grain filling. The threat of noctuid moth to the main maize producing areas will be completely eliminated.

What is noctuid moth in grassland? It is understood that the noctuid moth, originating in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, is a major agricultural pest in the global early warning system of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). From the invasion of America to Africa in 2016 and into Asia in 2018, more than 100 countries took place in the world. At present, the spotted noctuid moth mainly harms maize, sugarcane and sorghum. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has monitored that the noctuid moth has caused harm in Africa and Asia in recent years. In some areas, maize yield has been reduced by 20-70%. The lessons learned from the disaster are profound.

At present, more than 6 billion mu of crop diseases and insect pests occur in China. According to statistics, spotted moths were found in 25 provinces, with an area of more than 15 million mu and an actual area of 2.46 million mu. In the southwest and south of China, the occurrence of spot-like insects occurred in the Yangtze-Huaihe River, Huang-Huaihai River and Northwest China, but not in the Northeast China. The damage mainly concentrated in the southwest and other places, and the yield loss was controlled within 5%. The main maize producing areas, such as Huang Huai Hai, did not cause losses, and achieved the goal of preventing pests and stabilizing autumn grain.

Although the control and prevention of noctuid moth has achieved the expected goal, it will colonize in Southwest China and become another major migratory pest in China, which will move northward and return to the South and circulate annually. Its occurrence and harm will become normal. Therefore, it is very important to realize the normalization and sustainable control of noctuid moth occurrence in grassland.

Wei Qiwen, secretary and deputy director of the National Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center, pointed out that the grassland noctuid moth is an important pest introduced into China this year, and the research on its control and occurrence is indeed a new topic. In the process of controlling the grassland noctuid moth, we insist on border control, exploration and research to promote research. New progress has been made and the occurrence algebra and harmful habits of the noctuid moth in grassland in China have been preliminarily identified. In the aspect of monitoring and early warning, physical and chemical means such as sexual inducement and light inducement are researched and developed, and the investigation standard of measurement and prediction is formulated. In biological control, more than 30 kinds of predatory, parasitic natural enemies and microbial pesticides were screened, which provided strong support for scientific control of noctuid moth in grassland. At the same time, we have also carried out experiments and demonstrations of new technologies. On the basis of the study and drawing lessons from foreign experiences and practices, the zoning control strategies of annual breeding area, migration transition area and key prevention area of noctuid moth in grassland in China were put forward. The experimental demonstration of new chemicals and new machinery was carried out, and the zoning control technology model was integrated, which laid a foundation for the wide application of noctuid moth in grassland. Jun Enlin, deputy director of the Planting Management Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Areas, said that the next step was to actively promote international cooperation. There are insects not only in China, but also in Myanmar and Vietnam. We need to strengthen cooperation with international organizations and neighboring countries, carry out joint monitoring, information exchange and technical cooperation, promote the control level of neighboring countries, and reduce the threat of migration of foreign insect sources.

Pesticide insecticides need to be used in the process of controlling noctuid moth in grassland. Since 2015, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Areas has implemented Zero-growth action of pesticide use throughout the country. How to balance pesticide reduction and pest control and ensure bumper harvest? Zhu Enlin said that we should not only control pests and diseases, but also achieve the goal of pesticide reduction and efficiency. China has achieved negative growth in pesticide use for four consecutive years. After the invasion of noctuid moth in grassland this year, we choose high-efficiency and low-toxicity pesticides, use high-efficiency pesticide application machinery and ultra-low-dose spraying technology to minimize the amount of pesticides, which will not have a significant impact on the achievement of this year's pesticide reduction target.