Control Methods and Effective Pesticides for Corn Armyworm and Meadow Moth

Currently, we are in a critical period for disease and pest prevention and control. According to monitoring, the first-generation adult armyworm peak in the Jianghuai and Huanghuai regions is migrating intensively to the Northeast and North China. At the same time, affected by overseas pest sources and suitable migration conditions, meadow moth adults have surged in parts of eastern Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang and western Jilin, showing a severe outbreak trend and posing a threat to agricultural production. In response, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs attaches great importance to this and has urgently deployed corn armyworm and meadow moth prevention and control work, requiring all localities to implement prevention and control measures early, curb the outbreak damage of corn armyworm and meadow moth, and achieve “grabbing grain from the mouths of pests” to ensure a bumper harvest.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs deploys corn armyworm and meadow moth prevention and control work

First, arrange and deploy early. Currently, the Northeast, North China and Huanghuai regions are in the corn seedling stage and will soon enter the second-generation armyworm damage period. At the same time, this year the area of beans and other crops favored by meadow moth in the Northeast has increased, and coupled with the impact of drought and other meteorological factors, the probability of a meadow moth outbreak has increased. All localities must remain unwavering in the goal of stabilizing and optimizing grain production, advance flood control and drought relief together with disease and pest prevention and control, arrange and deploy early, and implement prevention and control measures.

Second, strengthen monitoring and early warning. Give play to the role of the crop major disease and pest forecasting network to accurately monitor pest situation dynamics. For the farming-pastoral ecotone and areas where armyworm repeatedly causes severe outbreaks, monitoring must be intensified. Organize plant protection professionals, rural agricultural technicians, specialized service organizations and farmers to go deep into the fields, investigate the occurrence of armyworm and meadow moth, accurately assess occurrence trends, release early warning information in a timely manner, and guide farmers to carry out emergency control at the appropriate time, so as to achieve early detection, early warning and early control. At the same time, strictly implement the information reporting system and the real-time reporting system for severe disaster situations to ensure smooth information flow.

Third, strengthen classified guidance. According to the migration patterns and damage characteristics of armyworm and meadow moth, strengthen classified guidance and implement key measures. For areas from which armyworm adults migrate out, monitoring must be intensified to promptly grasp the amount of migrating-out, passing-through and retained pests, and effective measures must be taken for control. For areas into which adults migrate, preparations for physical trapping, field egg surveys and pesticide control of young larvae must be made early. In key occurrence areas of overwintering-generation meadow moth adults and landing areas of foreign pest sources, use trapping tools such as insect-killing lamps to reduce the pest source base, remove field weeds before adult egg-laying and egg hatching to reduce damage, and control larvae in a timely manner.

Fourth, promote unified prevention and control. Make full use of existing project funds to support plant protection professional service organizations in carrying out unified prevention and control. Adopt multiple methods such as government purchase of services to guide plant protection service organizations in carrying out disease and pest control services, vigorously promote the “five unifications” service of unified organization and mobilization, unified technical plans, unified pesticide supply, unified control timing and unified pesticide application operations, and improve control effectiveness.

Fifth, provide precise guidance services. Organize experts to formulate technical plans for armyworm and meadow moth prevention and control, carry out roving technical guidance, and implement prevention and control measures according to local and temporal conditions. Organize government cadres and agricultural technicians to go deep into areas with severe armyworm and meadow moth outbreaks, adopt forms such as stationing at points and covering areas, and entering villages and households, to help farmers solve practical difficulties. During the critical period of prevention and control, carry out work supervision in areas with severe armyworm and meadow moth outbreaks to promote the implementation of various prevention and control measures.

What pesticides have good control effects on corn armyworm

For corn armyworm, mainly use 2.5% Decis, 2.5% Kung Fu emulsifiable concentrate, 4.5% beta-cypermethrin 20-30 ml, chlorbenzuron and other pesticides, but it should be reminded that chlorbenzuron is most effective when used during the young larval stage.

If the corn armyworm occurrence is relatively severe, you can use 2.5% lambda-cyhalothrin 40-80 ml/mu, 5% lambda-cyhalothrin 12-18 g/mu, 20% phoxim-methomyl emulsifiable concentrate 80-100 g/mu, 48% chlorpyrifos (Lorsban) emulsifiable concentrate 30-40 ml/mu, diluted with 40-50 kg of water and sprayed evenly.