Symptom of damage:

• Yellowing and drying of leaves from tip downwards
• Vector for the diseases viz., Rice tungro virus (RTV), rice yellow & transitory yellowing
• Retarded vigor and stunted growth
• Drying up of plant due to sucking up of sap from the leaf

Identification of insect pest:

• Eggs: Greenish transparent eggs are deposited in the midrib of leaf blade or sheath of rice or green grass. They are laid in batches of 10 to 15 arranged in a single row
• Nymph: The nymphs are soft bodied, yellow white in colour. Gradually the colour changes to green.
• Adult: Adults are 3-5 mm long, bright green with variable black markings, wedge shaped with a characteristic diagonal movement. Male insect has a black spot in middle of the forewings that is absent in females. The insect is active during July to September.

Management:

ETL: 60/25 net sweeps or 5/hill at vegetative stage or 10/hill at flowering or 2/hill in tungro endemic area

• Remove alternate weed hosts on the bunds as they act as reservoir of the population.
• Reduce the number of rice crops to two per year with synchronized sowing.
• Apply optimum nitrogen based on leaf colour chart, to avoid population outbreak.
• Set up light traps to monitor the vector population.
• Vegetation on the bunds should also be sprayed with insecticides.
• Intercrop soyabean in upland rice to reduce the incidence of leafhoppers in rice.
• Do not lay nursery near street lamps; In nursery, maintain 25 cm of water and broadcast carbofuran 3% CG @ 1.4 kg/ 8 cents.
• If ETL exceeds, spray or broadcast any one of the following insecticides twice at 15 and 30 days after transplanting per acre: Imidacloprid 17.8% SL 40 - 50 ml; thiamethoxam 25% WG 40 g; carbofuran 3% CG 10 kg; buprofezin 25% SC 320 g; carbosulfan 25% EC 320 - 400 ml; fipronil 5% SC 400- 600 g; fipronil 0.3% G 6.7- 10 kg; flonicamid 50% WG 60 g; acephate 50 % + imidacloprid 1.8 % SP @ 400g.