Southwest China's Sichuan Province is suffering from its worst
rice pest disaster in 16 years. Rice plant hoppers have already
attacked 5.2 million mu (about 0.85 million acres) rice
fields in 85 counties and county-level cities across the province.
Just a hundred rice plants can be home to tens of thousands of
these pests. Experts have warned of a province-wide disaster facing
rice production if the current situation is not brought under
control.
According to experts, the rice plant hopper is a highly prolific
pest frequently producing a new generation within just three days
and nights. Living on the rice plant's juices, this pest drains the
plant of its nutrients leaving it dead.
It is a migrant, traveling from place to place on the air
currents. "Rice plant hoppers are not native to Sichuan. They have
all come from Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou and elsewhere because of changes in
the weather," an expert said. "This April, Guangxi saw its
worst ever rice plant hopper disaster. Eastern and southern areas
of Sichuan had heavy rain in June. This provided an attractive new
home for the insects riding the air currents from Guangxi to
Sichuan. What's more, the excess rain coupled with moderate
temperatures has provided ideal conditions for the hoppers to
proliferate, leading to disaster."
Reports from 1991 tell of a devastating blow to Sichuan. Back
then hoppers destroyed 7.31 million mu (about 1.20 million
acres) of rice causing great economic loss. History is repeating
itself 16 years later. If the current disaster cannot be brought
under control, it will inflict much greater damage on rice
production than its predecessor.
The provincial government of Sichuan is waging war on these
pests. It has launched a counter-attack through what is known as a
Second-grade Emergency Pest-control Operation. Meanwhile the
Provincial Meteorological Bureau has a key role to play for its
weather forecasts are crucial in planning the campaign.
But the experts warn it will be no easy task to get rid of the
rice plant hoppers once and for all. As a migratory pest, the
insects can return on the air currents and thrive when the weather
conditions are favorable.
(China.org.cn by Pang Li, August 4, 2007)
