Pests of Rice

The following content has been written to list the pest species of rice. It includes the brief overview of the pests as well. The control method has not been listed.



Stem Borers:

• insects belonging to family Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Pyralidae


• Larvae bore into the stem, hence the name is borer; causes dead heart in vegetative stage and white head in flowering stage

 

Scirpophaga incertulas (Walker, 1863), Yellow Stem Borer, feeds on the inner surface of the rice stem[/caption]

• includes yellow stem borer Scirophaga incertulas (in lowland rice condition in aquatic environments), pink stem borer Sesamia inferens (polyphagous in nature), white stem borer S. innotata, striped stem borer Chilo suppressalis (major pest in Asia)


• yield loss can be from 20 to 80%

Hoppers

Brown planthopper. Nilaparvata lugens

• sucking type insects belonging to the family Cicadelliade (leafhoppers) and Delphacidaea (planthoppers); damaged caused by them is called 'hopper burn'


• species of planthoppers include; Brown planthopper (BPH) Nilaparvata lugens which can transmit Rice Ragged Stunt and Rice Grassy Stunt viruses, Whitebacked planthopper (WBPH) Sogatella furcifera


• species of leafhoppers include Nephotettix malayanus and Nephotettix virescens. They can transmit rice tungro viruses.


• Zigzag leafhopper Recilia dorsalis

Grain Sucking Insects:

• damages rice in early development stage in grain forming stage (grain filling stage) by sucking the white fluid, it results the rice grain to be pesky later


• rice bug: Leptocorisa oratorius and Leptocorisa acuta

Other pests of rice:

• Field cricket Euscyrtus concinnus: feeds on every part of the rice plant


• Cutworm Spodoptera litura: eats the leaves of the rice plant


• Green semilooper Naranga aenescens scrapes the tissues of the rice plant around leaf blades


• Rice gall midge Orseolia oryzae forms gall at the base of tillers


• Rice hispa Dicladispa armigera scrapes the leaf surface of the rice plant
  
  Rice hispa
  
  


• Rice thrips Stenchaetothrips biformis feeds on soft rice plant tissues.


• Rice Leaf Roller moth (Cnaphalocrocis medinalis)
  

  

  Cnaphalocrocis medinalis (rice leafroller) pest of other cereal crops as well, larvae scrapes the surface of the leaf

Contents/resources were based on and can be read more on:

• International Rice Research Institute


• TNAU Agritech Portal :: Crop Protection


• Photos from commons