The village chief chats with Xiao Shenyang about rotten rice seedlings.

　　“That night, I hurt…” Village chief Xiao Li hummed a tune as he crouched beneath a tree, watching ants climb up the trunk. Normally, besides taking his dog for a stroll, teasing the sheep, boasting a bit, and chatting away about everything under the sun, the village chief’s favorite pastime was watching ants climb trees. The village chief blew hard toward the tree trunk, sending the busy ants tumbling down to the ground. The little ants twitched their antennae and immediately resumed their determined climb up the tree. Often, the village chief could blow them down dozens of times in a single morning—and naturally, the ants would just as persistently climb back up dozens of times, too. Deep in his heart, the village chief couldn’t help but feel moved: “Ants truly are creatures of unwavering perseverance.”

　　“Village chief, village chief!” Hearing the voice, the village chief looked up and saw Dashan running toward him, panting heavily. “Something terrible has happened!”

　　“What’s going on? Your old sow is missing again.”

　　Dashing wiped his sweat and said, “The seedlings—every single one—is dead. Hurry up and take a look to see what’s going on! It’s not just our family’s; Yadan’s and Xiao Shenyang’s are all rotten too.”

　　Realizing the gravity of the situation, the village chief shook off the dust from his clothes, then gently blew away the tiny ants clinging to the tree trunk, following the mountain into the fields.

　　The village chief came to the rice field at the Da Shan family’s plot, pulled up a rice plant, and examined it closely. He found that the rice seedlings’ shoots and young roots were curled up, and in some areas had turned yellowish-brown. In severely affected plants, the young roots had rotted, the young shoots had turned brown and withered, or had bent downward into a hook-like shape. The plants also showed symptoms of “yellowing and wilting” along with blackened roots.

　　“Mountains, your family’s rice seedlings are suffering from physiological seedling rot—a major disease during the rice seedling stage. Seedling rot is a collective term for the decay of rice seeds, young shoots, and young seedlings, encompassing phenomena such as seed rot at the one-leaf-one-heart stage, rotten sprouts, and dead seedlings by the three-leaf stage. This disease poses a significant threat.”

　　“Village chief, you’re finally here! Come take a look at my seedlings—something’s not right with them. They’re totally different from the ones at Da Shan’s place. I just closed my eyes for a second, opened them again, and took a nap, and now my seedlings are all rotten, huh,” Xiao Shenyang squinted his little eyes and shouted from afar to the village chief.

　　Village chief Xiao Li went to Xiao Shenyang’s field and discovered small amounts of milky-white, gelatinous substance appearing at the young shoot tips. Some seedlings had grown white, cotton-like filaments, while others had already turned from green to earthy brown. In some areas, the affected spots were scattered sporadically, whereas in others they spread outward in all directions, with severe cases resulting in entire patches of seedlings dying off.

　　“Hmm, let me tell you about Shenyang,” the village chief said. “Just blink and you’ll see—your rice plants have contracted damping-off disease. This pathogen normally lies dormant in soil and water, but once the seeds are sown, it starts attacking the seedlings and continues to spread by relying on them.” Before he could finish speaking, a clear, melodious voice piped up: “Village chief!” “Hurry and take a look at what’s going on in my field! Watch closely—I’ll even sing you a song from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau!”

　　Ya Dan stepped forward, took the village chief’s hand, and started walking away. “Don’t rush—there’s still more to say, huh,” Xiao Shenyang muttered from behind.

　　Village chief Xiao Li went to Ya Dan’s field and began to observe carefully. He noticed a reddish, downy mold layer forming on the husks of the grains and at the base of the seedlings’ stems. The seedlings were wilting, their bases were rotting, and they broke off easily when pulled.

　　“Ya Dan, save your singing about the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau for when you’re fully recovered. The disease your family’s plants have is called damping-off. The pathogen overwinters in the soil and plant residues and spreads via air currents, attacking seedlings. Both your family’s and Xiao Shenyang’s plants are suffering from seedling rot caused by this pathogen—it’s easily treatable.”

　　“Village chief, why are all the seedlings in our family sick, while yours are just fine?” Dashaun couldn’t understand.

　　“Let me tell you something!” the village chief began, speaking enthusiastically. “The occurrence of seedling rot in rice crops is closely linked to environmental factors. For instance, poor soil conditions and a lack of oxygen can weaken seedling growth and reduce their resistance—these are the primary causes of seedling rot. After a cold snap, if followed by prolonged periods of overcast and rainy weather, low temperatures, excessive irrigation leading to waterlogging in the seedling fields, or seedlings planted in low-lying areas that often get flooded, all these conditions can easily trigger seedling rot. Moreover, when temperatures rise again after a cold spell, creating sunny, warmer weather, it provides an ideal environment for pathogenic bacteria to multiply rapidly, causing diseases like damping-off and seedling blight to spread swiftly. Little ones, you should study hard every day—only then will you be able to stay calm and handle any problems that may arise.”

　　“Now I get it—so that’s how it is! Is there any more, huh?” Xiao Shenyang eagerly interjected.

　　“Oh, and another thing—take, for example, poor-quality seed grains. During germination, if the temperature is too high, the sprouts will grow excessively long, reducing their resistance and making them prone to damage when sown in the field. Moreover, uneven distribution of seeds often leads to rotting. Of course, these days, it seems nobody does things this way anymore.” The village chief pulled out a lighter, lit a cigarette, took a puff, and continued: “Improper placement of the nursery bed and inadequate care are also major issues. If the nursery soil is too soft and wasn’t properly prepared during land preparation—left too loose—it can easily cause the seeds to sink deeply into the mud. Or, if the nursery bed isn’t level, water will accumulate in low-lying areas, hindering the young sprouts’ respiration. Meanwhile, seedlings growing in higher areas are more likely to suffer from frost damage and sunburn. All these factors combined can lead to poor seedling growth and ultimately result in rotten seedlings.”

　　“Is there any more? Is there any more?”

　　“Using uncomposted organic fertilizers, delaying the timely plowing under of green manure residues, or irrigating with sewage as fertilizer can all easily lead to seedling rot. In such cases, combined with prolonged deep-water irrigation, large amounts of toxic substances can accumulate in the soil, causing severe black root disease.” The village chief exhaled a puff of smoke that drifted away on the breeze. “Moreover, harmful organisms—such as algae—can proliferate dramatically, hindering seedling growth. When red earthworms, red threadworms, and (rice midge larvae) become highly active, they impede seedlings from establishing roots or bury seeds too deeply within the soil. Additionally, diseases like sesame leaf spot can also cause seedlings to die.”

　　“Village chief, stop showing off your knowledge—just hurry up and tell us how to save our seedlings!” Ya Dan said impatiently. After all, the little girl was naturally fiery and impulsive.

　　The village chief exhaled his smoke slowly and deliberately: “Prevention is better than cure. It’s crucial to explain things thoroughly and make them crystal clear. The main reason for rice seedlings rotting is that the seedlings become weak and unable to withstand adverse weather conditions or attacks by pathogens. Therefore, the primary way to prevent seedling rot is to cultivate strong, robust seedlings and strengthen cultivation management to enhance their disease resistance.”

　　“Let me first talk about preventive measures. It’s ideal to select paddy fields that are sheltered from the wind, facing the sun, with good soil quality, convenient irrigation, and level field surfaces for seedling beds—though being particular about these conditions can sometimes be seen as overly finicky. High-quality land preparation is crucial for seedling beds; the ground must be perfectly level, and after leveling, it should be allowed to harden slightly. At the same time, the seedling bed must be kept clean, and fully decomposed fertilizers should be applied. Avoid using wastewater for irrigation. These measures play a significant role in preventing seedlings from rotting.”

　　“Cut the crap and get to the point, huh,” Xiao Shenyang said, picking his nose as he spoke.

　　“Before sowing, carefully select high-quality seeds and soak them to promote germination (soak the seeds in a 4,000- to 5,000-fold dilution of 80% garlic extract emulsifiable concentrate for 2–3 days; this method is highly effective in producing robust seedlings). Avoid over-soaking the seeds during germination, as prolonged soaking may increase the risk of seed rot when faced with adverse weather conditions. Also, take care to prevent “burning” of the seeds during germination. After the seeds have sprouted sufficiently, spread them out to air-dry for one day and one night to enhance their cold resistance.”

　　“Hey, village chief,” I said, “what you’re talking about is just like an old lady’s foot-binding cloth—stinky and endlessly long! Wasting other people’s lives is tantamount to murder for profit—do you even know that?” *Hmph!*

　　“Calm down, calm down—don’t rush!” The village chief watched the children scratching their heads and looking drowsy, then raised his voice: “Also, when seizing the tail end of a cold wave—the warm front—sow your seeds at just the right time, ensuring that after sowing there’ll be 3 to 5 consecutive sunny days. This will help the seedlings take root and sprout vigorously. At the same time, be careful not to sow too densely; make sure the seeds are evenly distributed. After sowing, gently press the soil down to promote rooting. Then, cover the surface with a layer of wood ash—this both keeps the soil warm and enriches it with nutrients, ensuring uniform germination, rapid emergence, strong vitality, and enhanced disease resistance.”

　　“Can you please cut the chatter? Who do you think you are—Tripitaka?” Even Dashan, a guy with such a good temper, couldn’t hold back anymore.

　　“It’s almost time—speed up the management of water and fertilizer in the seedling beds. After sowing, keep the seedling beds moist for 7 to 10 days to promote root establishment and growth. Afterwards, adopt the ‘running-water’ irrigation method, and ensure frequent and ample watering during the three-leaf stage. On rainy days, drain excess water promptly to keep the beds dry. In case of strong winds, thunderstorms, or cold snaps, be sure to irrigate the seedlings to protect them. Additionally, for early-sown double-cropping early rice, use plastic film for seedling raising to seize the favorable growing season, start seedling cultivation early, and prevent damage from low temperatures as well as seedling rot caused by cold weather.”

　　“Village chief, could you please just hurry up and suggest some practical solutions? If it were anyone else here wasting time like this, I’d have already beaten the living daylights out of them and sent them straight to see Buddha!” Ya Dan, the feisty little girl from Northeast China, was really letting her temper get the better of her.

　　“Alright, let’s talk about first-aid measures. For the rice seedlings in Dasha’s paddy fields that have been suffering from seedling rot due to prolonged flooding, immediately drain the water completely to ensure that the seedlings’ young shoots are fully exposed to sunlight and air, thereby promoting rapid root development. As for the paddy fields affected by black roots, adopt the practice of frequent, small-water irrigation to dilute the toxic substances and help the seedlings recover their health. That should do it.”

　　The village chief, too, was afraid of getting into trouble, so he had no choice but to be honest and admit his mistakes leniently: “For fields like Yadan’s and Shenyang’s, you’ll need to apply pesticides. Before applying the pesticides, drain the water completely, leaving just a thin layer—about 0.5 to 1 centimeter deep. When diseases such as damping-off and moss growth occur in Shenyang’s field, use a solution of copper sulfate or zinc sulfate diluted 10,000 times, or apply 15 to 25 kilograms of wood ash per 666 square meters. For Yadan’s field, where there’s standing-water wilt disease, spray a solution of 70% disodium salt soluble powder diluted 1,000 times, starting after 5 p.m. Replenish the water two days after spraying.”

　　Here, the mountain roads twist and turn eighteen times; over there, they loop and wind nine times in succession. Joyful songs ring out across the fields—melodious and clear.