Migratory Pests from China Arrive Earlier Due to Abnormal Climate; Southern Coastal Local Governments on High Alert

As abnormal weather conditions characterized by high temperatures and humidity continue through the summer, migratory pests from China, such as the small brown planthopper, are threatening rice paddies across the southern coast of South Korea.

Because these pests can cause devastating damage to rice production depending on their arrival time and ability to settle, local governments along the southern coast, including the Gyeongsangnam-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services, have launched joint surveillance and control systems.

According to the Gyeongsangnam-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services on July 18, major summer pests like the small brown planthopper and the rice leaf folder are not indigenous pests that overwinter in Korea, unlike mosquitoes or aphids.

They cannot survive the Korean winter and naturally die off each year, only to re-emerge after crossing the sea on westerly winds from areas south of the Yangtze River in China around the rainy season in June and July.

Due to this characteristic, they are called migratory pests, meaning they fly in and cause damage.

Once they arrive, they multiply exponentially in the hot and humid summer environment, causing fatal damage to farming. Therefore, surveillance and control measures to block them at the source upon arrival are essential.

However, global warming due to climate change has accelerated the movement of these pests, and the hot and humid weather has shortened their generation cycles, leading to an explosive increase in their population density.

In particular, it has been suggested that the small brown planthopper may have entered Korea after mid-June this year, and it is predicted to spread mainly across the southern and western coastal regions.

Among the migratory pests, the small brown planthopper and the rice leaf folder cause the most significant damage to farms.

The small brown planthopper lives at the base of rice stalks and sucks the sap, causing the rice to wither and turn yellow.

In severe cases, a phenomenon known as concentrated withering occurs, where parts of the paddy look as if they have been bombed, making harvesting impossible.

The rice leaf folder also causes larvae to roll up rice leaves vertically and feed on them, hindering photosynthesis and drastically reducing rice quality and yields.

In 2024, which saw the most severe high-temperature phenomenon, damage from the small brown planthopper occurred in 4,190 hectares, accounting for approximately 6.7% of the province's rice cultivation area, marking a serious blow to farms.

At that time, concentrated withering damage occurred mainly in western Gyeongnam and southern coastal cities and counties, including Hadong-gun (700 hectares), Jinju (600 hectares), Changwon (560 hectares), and Sacheon (350 hectares).

In response, the provincial agricultural research and extension services will conduct intensive pre-surveillance for rice pests for 11 weeks from this month to September 18 in five southern coastal cities and counties: Tongyeong, Sacheon, Goseong, Namhae, and Hadong, to minimize damage.

These five southern coastal areas are the first gateway and major entry route for overseas pests entering Korea, so the plan is to prevent damage through early detection.

The surveillance team, composed of officials from the provincial agricultural research and extension services and local city and county offices, is precisely analyzing the density of pest occurrences in rice paddies using suction traps and insect nets.

The results of the surveillance are reflected in real-time in the National Pest Management System and shared with farms along with control guidelines.

In addition, in collaboration with the Rural Development Administration and local agricultural technology centers, a total of three joint central and local surveillance operations for migratory rice pests will be conducted from this month to September.

There are also plans to support joint control operations using drones and wide-area sprayers.

An official from the Gyeongsangnam-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services urged, "The key to controlling rice pests is proactive response through early surveillance rather than reactive measures," adding, "Since pests like the small brown planthopper easily develop resistance to pesticides, it is crucial to check surveillance information frequently and perform simultaneous control with registered pesticides at the early stage of entry to maximize effectiveness."

(Photo: Provided by Gyeongsangnam-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.