Brown planthoppers sweep rice fields in Korea due to heat waves

A farmer looks at rice damaged by heavy rains in Munnae-myeon, Haenam-gun, South Jeolla Province on September 23. Yonhap News

Brown planthoppers are sweeping rice fields ahead of the harvest. The number of white-dried rice is increasing everywhere in the fields that should be golden in color. The bugs bore holes in the rice stalks and suck out the juice, causing the rice to die.

The density of brown planthoppers in South Jeolla Province has exceeded 300 per 20 stalks of rice. This is the highest “severe” level of the four levels of pest surveillance. The prevalence of the pest is blamed on heat waves. Brown planthoppers become less active when temperatures drop, but this year they have been breeding until recently.

Rural areas are suffering from “climate disasters.” In addition to the disaster-level disease and insect pest, abnormal temperatures, decreased sunlight, and hail are devastating rice fields regardless of the season.

South Jeolla Province said on September 23 that it has suggested the government recognize the damage from brown planthoppers as an agricultural disaster. The total area affected by the bugs in the province is 19,603 hectares, accounting for 13.3 percent of the total rice cultivation area (148,000 hectares). This is 29 times more than last year's damage (675 hectares).

The damage is nationwide. According to data released by the Rural Development Administration, as of September 16, brown planthoppers were reported in South Jeolla Province, North Jeolla Province (1,200 hectares), South Chungcheong Province (2,274 hectares), North Chungcheong Province, North Gyeongsang Province, and South Gyeongsang Province.

The prevalence of brown planthoppers, which cannot pass the winter in Korea, is believed to be caused by heat waves. They are usually brought into Korea from China by winds around July. Each generation lives for about 27 days and lays eggs to reproduce. They become inactive when temperatures drop below 20 degrees Celsius, and it has reproduced for about two generations in Korea.

However, this year, as the temperature did not drop even in September, breeding continued until the third generation, and its population increased rapidly. The Jeollanam-do Agricultural Research and Extension Service said, “As the heat wave continued, brown planthoppers continued to reproduce. It should be viewed as damage caused by 'extreme weather.'” This year, South Jeolla Province has suffered six crop failures that have been recognized as agricultural disasters by the government due to extreme weather. As many as 15,591 farms suffered damage in 187 hectares, equivalent to 14,127 soccer fields. A total of 21.1 billion won has been paid for restoration alone.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.