A Detailed Guide to Pest and Disease Control Techniques During the Wheat Sowing Period

The wheat sowing period is the key time for controlling many wheat pests and diseases. Control at this stage saves labour, time and pesticide, can control multiple pests and diseases, and gives remarkable results. The main targets for pest and disease control during the wheat sowing period are the soil-dwelling pests white grubs, mole crickets and wireworms, wheat blossom midge, wheat sharp eyespot, take-all disease, viral diseases, yellow dwarf disease, wheat rosette dwarf virus disease, smut and so on. The control measures are:

Choose pest- and disease-resistant varieties

Choose pest- and disease-resistant varieties according to the main local pests and diseases, and ensure a sound rational layout of varieties.

Create an ecological environment that prevents disease

Prepare the soil carefully and clear diseased plant residues and weeds from the fields and field edges. Keep applying decomposed farmyard manure and fertilise in a scientific, balanced way. Use cultivation measures such as adequate soil moisture, sowing late within the suitable period, and precision or semi-precision sowing to grow strong wheat seedlings and improve the wheat's own disease resistance and stress tolerance.

Treat the soil

In areas where soil-dwelling pests and wheat blossom midge occur heavily, apply 0.5-1 kg per mu of 50% phoxim or 40% isofenphos-methyl emulsifiable concentrate, add 2-3 kg of water, mix with 20-25 kg of fine sandy soil to make a toxic soil, spread it evenly over the ground before ploughing, and turn it into the soil with the ploughing. For plots where take-all disease occurs heavily, apply 2-2.5 kg per mu of 50% carbendazim or 50% thiophanate-methyl, mix with 15-20 kg of fine soil, spread it evenly over the ground before ploughing, and turn it into the soil with the ploughing.

Seed treatment with chemicals

In areas where soil-dwelling pests generally occur, use 50 g of 40% methamidophos or 50% phoxim emulsifiable concentrate, add 4-5 kg of water, and treat 40-50 kg of wheat seed. For wheat sharp eyespot, smut and stripe rust, use 2% tebuconazole at 0.1%-0.15% of seed weight, or 20% triadimefon emulsifiable concentrate at 0.15% of seed weight, or 12.5% diniconazole at 0.12% of seed weight for seed treatment. Excessive use of triadimefon and diniconazole affects wheat emergence and growth, so the dosage must be strictly controlled to avoid phytotoxicity. For wheat take-all disease, use 100 ml of 2.5% fludioxonil, add 1.5-2 kg of water, and treat 50-100 kg of wheat seed; sow after drying. For wheat yellow dwarf disease and wheat rosette dwarf virus disease, use 100-150 ml of 75% phorate emulsifiable concentrate, add 3-4 kg of water, treat 50 kg of wheat seed, mix well and let it stand covered for 12 hours before sowing. In areas where pests and diseases occur together, vigorously promote mixed seed treatment with fungicides and insecticides, each measured separately, mixing the insecticide first and then the fungicide, and strictly follow the seed treatment operating procedures to prevent poisoning of people and livestock.

Seed coating

Seed coating agents are a new type of pesticide made by compound processing of insecticides, fungicides, micro-fertilisers, plant growth regulators, film-forming agents and so on. Seed coating has the advantages of being simple, slow-release and long-lasting, and besides controlling pests and diseases it also acts as a seed fertiliser, so it should be promoted over large areas. Each locality can choose a seed coating agent with an appropriate formulation according to the types of pests and diseases that occur.