Evaluation of pest control contributions to the production of three major grain crops in China

Wheat, rice and maize are three major grain crops in China. In 2024, under the organization of National Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center, the contribution rates of controlling pests (diseases, insect pests and weeds) on these crops to their production were evaluated in 15 provinces of the country. In each province, five control treatments for the pests were set up at different locations, including strict control, unified control, traditional farmer control, no control of diseases or insect pests, and no control of diseases, insect pests or weeds. In the plots of each treatment, yields and losses were measured and compared between treatments. The results revealed that the average contribution rate of pest control in China in 2024 was 30.56% for the three crops, reaching 27.99%, 35.62% and 28.63% for wheat, rice and maize, respectively, and the recovered yield losses were 39.21, 73.92, and 84.43 million tons, respectively, totaling nearly 198 million tons. The contribution rate was higher when the pests were controlled under strict guidelines and when the control was complemented in a unified form than when the pests were controlled via methods freely adopted by farmers. Moreover, the damage caused by weeds tended to increase, which was most serious in paddy fields but much less severe in wheat fields.