​
The mosaic disease on cassava has basically been kept under control

Accordingly, to promote the prevention and control of mosaic disease and fall armyworms on corn plants, the Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee asked the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to host and coordinate with concerned departments and sectors and localities to monitor the cultivation process of corn and cassava to set directions on varieties, harvest time, and farming methods against mosaic disease and fall armyworms on cassava; enhance inspection to early find out the cassava-growing areas infected with mosaic disease and fall armyworms on cassava and provide preventive measures according to Plant Protection Department’s technical process of prevention and control of cassava mosaic and fall armyworms; direct the agricultural promotion system to focus on disseminating propaganda and giving farmers training and guidance on prevention and control measures; conduct quick testing of types of plant protection products that work for fall armyworms as a basis to give farmers warnings; investigate to find out types of cassava with a substantial resistance to mosaic disease and types of corn with a great resistance to fall armyworms and show farmers how to replace badly-infected varieties; continue to apply the production models of free-disease cassava varieties to ensure that disease-free varieties are put into production.

Fall armyworms continue to cause damage to some corn-growing areas in the province

Also, the Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee directed the People’s Committees of districts and cities to further disseminate propaganda information and how to prevent and control the mosaic disease and fall armyworms of the Plant Protection Department; warn farmers not to use the cuttings of cassava that originate from Tay Ninh, where local authorities have announced outbreaks and those infected with diseases, not to plant cassava varieties HL–S11 and KM149 that are  heavily infected, plant disease-free varieties or those less infected with KM94; and prevent the transmission of mosaic disease by using traps to kill  spiraling whiteflies. Also, the areas with the risk of spiraling whitefly outbreaks need to be sprayed with  plant protection products Dinotefuran or Pymetrozine and farmers are recommended to plant alternative crops but tobacco, tomato, Vietnamese eggplants, ca dua, bottle gourds, gourds, chili, and so on.

Also, it is urgent to call for farmers to destroy cassava stems, leaves, and other post-harvest plants in infected areas; strengthen inspection and strictly control of the transport of cassava leaves and stems from infected to uninfected areas and place a ban on trading infected cassava varieties. Simultaneously, it is necessary to investigate to early detect the cassava-growing areas infected with mosaic disease and fall armyworms causing harms to corn plants and show farmers how to seriously adopt preventive measures; establish corn or cassava clubs or production groups to exchange experience in the prevention and control of mosaic disease and fall armyworms on corn.

According to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, to prevent cassava mosaic the Provincial Plant Protection has introduced 4 models of managing disease-free cassava varieties in Xuan Loc district (2 models) and in Long Thanh district (2 models) on KM 140 and KM 225 varieties on an area of ​​92 ha.

All these models have been applied with synchronous measures like using yellow sticky traps to control spiraling whiteflies and spray plant protection products to prevent their outnumbering appearance, have samples of whiteflies and cassava before and after harvest time to determine infected cassava varieties.

Also, during the testing process the cassava plants of 4 models have grown and developed well and the effective level of yellow sticky traps have varied from 10 to 214 flies per trap and no cassava plants have been found to be infected with mosaic disease. Up to now, farmers have harvested 59 hectares with an average yield of 26-33 tons per ha and this source of disease-free cassava is expected to be provided for production activities.

Duy Minh (L. Van)