Fall Armyworm 0927"Yunlin infestation expands, county magistrate declares "no reporting needed, spray directly"? Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine: This will worsen the damage

Fall armyworm is ravaging corn fields in Yunlin. The Yunlin County Government yesterday (26th) directly announced "no reporting needed, direct control" and subsidized farmers in purchasing control pesticides. The Council of Agriculture stated today that fall armyworm moves between locations due to generational turnover, and without reporting it will be difficult to grasp the epidemic situation and impossible to carry out effective systematic control. It called on local governments not to mislead the public, lest the damage expand and ultimately harm farmers.

Hsu Chia-chia, Section Chief of the Sixth Section of the Yunlin Animal and Plant Disease Control Center, responded that the Yunlin County Government worried that after reports came in from various places, there would be insufficient manpower for disease control and it would be impossible to carry out comprehensive control all at once. Therefore, it opened up the option for farmers to carry out control at the first moment of discovery, but still encourages farmers to report after completing control, not to skip reporting altogether.

Fall armyworm in Yunlin corn fields increases sharply, 62 hectares affected

As of September 26, there were 608 fall armyworm cases in total, of which 81 sites have been destroyed and 456 sites have been sprayed. On the main island there are 466 cases, with 1,348 adult moths captured, and the main affected crop is corn, with 321 cases; on the offshore islands there are 142 cases, with 351 adult moths captured, and the main affected crop is sorghum. Currently the most severely affected area is the green-cut and hard corn fields in Yunlin, with 7 townships (Mailiao, Taixi, Dongshi, Lunbei, Sihu, Kouhu, Shuilin) totaling 62 hectares affected.

Low rate of field inspection by elderly farmers, severe pest damage

Currently it is the period for the second crop of corn planting in the country, with a total planting area of 25,806 hectares, of which edible corn is 6,267 hectares, hard corn is 12,373 hectares, and green-cut corn is 7,166 hectares. The largest production area for edible corn is Yunlin County, and the largest production area for hard corn is Hualien County.

In addition to edible corn, Yunlin County also plants hard corn and green-cut corn. This time hard corn has been severely damaged. Chen Chun-chi, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Agriculture, explained that because hard corn is not edible corn, the planting process is more extensive and belongs to low-intensity management, which is why it was severely damaged.

An unnamed disease control worker in Yunlin said that most local farmers are elderly, and elderly farmers do not inspect their fields frequently. Many elderly farmers also do not recognize fall armyworm. This pest outbreak has caused huge losses, and even about 30 hectares of corn fields had no survivors at all. They called on farmers to remind one another to inspect their fields more often.

Council of Agriculture: Localities directly declaring "independent control" will reduce disease control efficiency

In response to the pest damage, Yunlin County Magistrate Chang Li-shan announced yesterday that the second reserve fund would be activated to subsidize farmers in purchasing control pesticides. Farmers can purchase pesticides for control on their own and no longer need to report, simplifying the disease control process.

Chen Chun-chi explained that fall armyworm has been causing damage across Taiwan since June 8, and field damage is mainly caused by larvae. After farmers discover and report it in the field, a case is established within 1-2 days. Disease control personnel arrive on site to assist with control, and after spraying, pheromone traps are continuously hung on site for monitoring. The traps mainly capture adult moths. At present, we are still in the second stage of control. The pesticides and materials used for control, and even the labor cost for the first spraying after reporting, are all absorbed by the government, and farmers can make greater use of this.

In response to the pest damage, Yunlin County Magistrate Chang Li-shan announced yesterday that the second reserve fund would be activated to subsidize farmers in purchasing control pesticides. Farmers can purchase pesticides for control on their own and no longer need to report, simplifying the disease control process.

In response to this, Chen Chun-chi said that local governments should not announce the start of the third stage on their own, and because fall armyworm moves between locations due to generational turnover, without reporting it will be difficult to grasp the epidemic situation and impossible to carry out effective systematic control. In addition, in the third stage all material costs must be absorbed by farmers, which is instead unfavorable to farmers.

Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine: If localities announce on their own, the central government has the right to hold them accountable

Chuang Lao-ta, Deputy Director-General of the Agriculture and Food Agency, explained that the purchased item for hard corn harvest is grain, and the purchase standard is 2,500 kilograms per hectare for 60,000 yuan. If fall armyworm is found but not reported and not controlled, and the standard is not met at that time, no purchase will be made. However, if after reporting and control the harvest volume is still damaged, adjustments will be considered by analogy with natural disasters, and after recognition by county and city inspection teams, the standards may be appropriately relaxed.

Feng Hai-tung, Director-General of the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine, said that the peak of the outbreak in July was because Kinmen planted sorghum, and the current peak of the outbreak is because Yunlin County began planting second-crop corn at the end of August. Hualien County, the largest hard corn production area, is still under monitoring. It is not recommended to stagger planting times; the main affected crops should be planted at similar times so that efforts can be concentrated on control.

Feng Hai-tung emphasized that local units should cooperate with central coordination and implementation. Although there is no penalty if farmers do not report, reporting is what helps overall disease control. Regarding the actions announced by localities on their own, the central government has the right to hold them accountable, and he called on local governments to cooperate with central coordination and report whenever pest damage is found, so as to achieve effective disease control.

Yunlin County: Farmers are encouraged to report after control

Yi-chun: Hsu Chia-chia, Section Chief of the Sixth Section of the Yunlin Animal and Plant Disease Control Center, said that hard corn planting is relatively extensive, and vigilance during field inspection is not high. The damage caused by fall armyworm this time is also the first time elderly farmers have faced it.

Hsu Chia-chia clarified that Yunlin County did not declare entry into the third stage on its own. Rather, it was worried that after reports came in from various places, there would be insufficient disease control manpower and it would be impossible to carry out comprehensive control all at once. Therefore, it opened up the option for farmers to carry out control at the first moment of discovery, but still encourages farmers to report after completing control, not to skip reporting altogether.

Yunlin County will subsidize 1 million in control material funds, with farmers spraying pesticides themselves, concentrating on the hardest-hit areas. Farmers are asked to contact their local farmers' associations to apply, and the cost of purchasing pesticides will be subsidized by the county government. If farmers' harvest volume does not reach the purchase threshold of 250 kilograms per fen, they will not be able to receive the crop conversion subsidy. The county government will also make every effort to help seek support and reduce farmers' losses.

Experts: Fall armyworm easily develops pesticide resistance, pesticide use must be cautious

Liao Pei-chih, Director of the Yunlin County Animal and Plant Disease Control Center, explained that when using pesticides to control fall armyworm, please rotate different pesticides and observe the safe harvest interval. If egg masses or larvae are found during field inspection, they can be removed by hand to reduce larval hatching. In addition, plants can be plowed under and fields flooded to reduce pest source density.

Hsu Ju-chun, Professor of the Department of Entomology at National Taiwan University, said in a recent interview that because fall armyworm is more prone to developing pesticide resistance than other noctuids, one should "only use pesticides when worms are seen," and the same pesticide should not be used three times in a row. Even Bacillus thuringiensis, commonly used by organic farmers, may develop resistance, so pesticide use must be cautious.

(To read more fall armyworm news, please click here)