Rainfed rice - IRRI books - International Rice Research Institute

Pest control in rainfed upland rice
Pest Control Alternatives for the Rainfed Rice Ecosystem
Name of pest Damage Control measures
Stem borers Bore into stem, causing deadheart at Early planting, pheromone
(all ecosystems) tillering stage and chaffy white earhead at traps of different types or
panicle formation stage. Serious problem Bacillus sp. or nuclear
from November onwards. Worst pest of polyhedrosis virus,
summer paddy.
predators and parasitoids;
internal feeders; caterpillars.
Leafhoppers and
planthoppers
(shallow and intermediate
system)
Leaf roller
(shallow and irrigated)
Gundhi bug
(upland, shallow and
irrigated)
Rice hispa
(shallow - Assam, Bihar,
West Bengal, Orissa
coastal)
Caseworm
(intermediate and
shallow)
Termites
(drought areas)
Sap-sucking insect. Numerous green, white
and brown jassids puncture leaves and
sheaths and suck sap. Leaves become
browny yellow and dry from the tips. Plants
look sickly and stunted. Brown and white-
backed planthoppers congregate around the
lower part of stem and suck sap, causing leaf
yellowing and drying. Plants dry in circular
patches, known as hopperburn. Transmit
virus diseases.
Leaf-eating insect. Green caterpillars fold
and stick leaves sideways or from tip
downwards, remain inside and feed on
green matter; leaves look whitish.
Grain-sucking insect. Adult and young
stinkbugs puncture and suck milky
grains, causing several chaffy white
grains in the earhead.
Leaf-feeding insect. Adults eat green leaf
and white parallel lines appear. Larvae
feed inside the leaves.
Leaf-eating insect. Caterpillars cut leaf
tops, make tubular cases hanging from
leaves, remain inside and feed on green
tissues of leaves. Fields look whitish.
Attack young plants, feed on roots and
underground parts, causing wilting and
death of the plants. Severe in well-
drained light soils.
Lower parts of plants must
be thoroughly covered for
effective planthopper
control. Monitoring is
important for planthopper
management. Apply 100 kg
neem cake/ha at puddling
for planthopper control.
Foliar spray of cow dung
slurry or only 0.1%
asafoetida suspension.
Grow tolerant varieties,
foliar spray with 1% neem
product (nimidine). Grow
Cajanus cajan on bund.
Dip a rope in kerosene oil
and run it through the
field. Hispa will drop in
water and die.
The cases can be
destroyed by moving a
rope on the crop and
collecting them at one
point from the water and
destroying the larvae.
Before sowing, apply 20
kg karanj cake or neem
cake in soil and Lantana
camara plant ash.
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