By Anna Skinner
Newsweek
Farmers in Louisiana and Texas are facing growing threats from invasive species that are damaging rice fields and disrupting crawfish harvests, raising concerns for two industries that are closely linked and economically significant in the southern United States.
Invasive apple snails have spread rapidly across rice—crawfish fields in southern Louisiana, clogging traps and devouring young rice plants. At the same time, rice delphacids—tiny sap-sucking insects—have emerged as a major threat to rice crops. Researchers say the insects can cut yields dramatically by weakening plants and spreading rice viruses, with some Texas farmers reporting losses of up to half their second crop, The Associated Press reported.