Frequently Asked Questions

The objective of scheme has been to make Agriculture knowledge available at free of cost to the farmers as and when desired. Kisan call centre No. is 1551  

There are several Agricultural implements developed by CRRI viz. Mini parboiling Unit, Star cum Cono weeder, CRRI multicrop seed drill (2 rows). Drum seeder, 3 row manual pull type seed drill, paddy wheel hoe. Two row rice seed cum fertilizer drill, Rice husk; Chaff stove, finger weeder, 4 row manual rice transplanter, hand shovel, hand plough.

Agricultural University and Agricultural department.

It looks like a smooth glistening ovoid particle, emerald green in color (during ripening stage, however, it turns golden yellow). After it is milled, the kernel will appear shiny white in color.

The origins of rice have been debated for some time, but the plant is of such antiquity that the precise time and place of its first development will perhaps never be known. It is certain, however, that the domestication of rice ranks as one of the most important developments in history, for rice is the longest, continuously grown cereal crop in the world. Botanical and linguistic evidence point to the early origin of domesticated rice along a broad arc from eastern India through Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, northern Vietnam,and into southern China.
The earliest and most convincing evidence for domestication of rice in Southeast Asia was discovered in 1966 at Non Nok Tha in the Korat area of Thailand. These remains have been confirmed as dating from at least 4000 B.C.

 

The tan nutrient-rich outer layer covering a rice kernel. Rice bran has a sweet nutty flavor and is an excellent source of nutrients, minerals, and fiber. 

 

Amylose and amylopectin. Amylose makes the rice separate and fluffy. Amylopectin, the waxy starch, gives rice a sticky consistency when cooked. 

 

Rice grows in the upland area, irrigated area, rainfed lowland area, and the flood-prone area. Rice is highly adaptable and can be grown even in diverse environments. 

 

A paddy is a field that is flooded with water. Rough rice is also called paddy rice. 

 

The rice grain, commonly called a seed, consists of the true fruit or brown rice (caryopsis) and the hull, which encloses the brown rice. Brown rice consists mainly of the embryo and endosperm. The surface of the seed contains several thin layers of differentiated tissues that enclose the embryo and endosperm.

 

The hull is composed of two modified leaves, the palea and lemma. They are held together by hook like structures. The cells of the mature hull are highly lignified and brittle, with high concentration of silica. 

 

The embryo or germ is extremely small and is located on the ventral side of the caryopsis. It contains the embryonic leaves (plumule) and embryonic root (radical), which are joined by a very short stem (mesocotyl). The plumule is enclosed by a cylinder like protective covering, the coleoptiles, and the radical is ensheathed by a mass of soft tissue, the coleorhizae. The outer side of the embryo is enclosed by the aleurone layer.

Consisting of the aleurone layer and the starchy endosperm, it serves as food for the germinating embryo.

The vegetative organs consist of roots, culms (stems), and leaves.

The panicle is the terminal shoot of a rice plant that produces grain.

A spikelet is a unit of the panicle, and consists of two sterile lemmas, the rachilla, and the floret (flower). Since rice has only one fully developed floret per spikelet, these terms are often used interchangeably.

A tiller is any of the extra stems or culms in a rice plant that arise from its base. Varieties that have genetic capacity to put out many stems are referred to as "heavy-tillering" varieties.

It is a small, papery, triangular structure at the base of the leaf blade of the rice plant.

Rice is naturally a self-pollinating plant. It is self-fertilizing, that is, it has both male and female organs. To cross two varieties, you must normally remove the male parts from one variety and then fertilize it with pollen from the other.

In some countries, rice plants are harvested by a machine called a combine harvester. Most harvesting, however, is done by hand, using a knife or a sickle. Then the grain has to be separated from the straw in a process called threshing. 

After the moisture content of the rice has been reduced due to sun drying, the milling process begins. A Sheller removes the inedible hull from the rice. The bran is then removed from the brown rice by abrasion as the grains are forced to rub against one another.

By conventional breeding method, it will take 5 to 10 years to develop one variety of rice but with biotechnology as a tool, an outstanding variety can be developed within 1 to 2 years.

The duration depends upon the maturity of the rice being produced. It takes about 90 to 200 days for a rice crop to mature.

Temperature, solar radiation, and rainfall influence rice yield by directly affecting the physiological processes involved in grain production, and indirectly through diseases and insects.

A warming of 2°C promotes sterility in rice, reducing the yield 25% or more. Consequently, the effect of low temperature to rice production is that the growth duration of rice will be prolonged.

Rice grains shatter easily from the panicle and grain dormancy is shorter when the temperatures during ripening are low. The rice plant produces more straw than grains.

High temperatures accelerate grain ripening, resulting in prematurity. Prematurity may result in partially chalky and milk-white kernels and thicker bran and aleurone layers.

Seventy varieties have been developed from C.R.R.I

There are two hybrid varieties Ajay and Rajlaxmi. Duration is 135 days for both having yield potential of 7.5 t/ha and 7.0 t/ha respectively.

There are two Aromatic varieties of CRRI vig. Geetanjali and Ketekijoha. Duration is 135 days and 145 days with yield potential of 5.0 t/ha and 4.0 t/ha respectively.

There are about 120,000 varieties known to exist.

Rough rice, or paddy rice, is a rice that has been harvested and threshed but still has its hull and bran.

The japonica varieties have narrow dark green leaves, medium-height tillers, and short to intermediate plant height. It is usually grown in cooler subtropics and temperate climates, such as Japan, Portugal, Spain, USSR, Italy, and France.

The traditional indica rice varieties, widely grown throughout the tropics and subtropics, are tall and heavy tillering with long, narrow, light green leaves.

Javanica rice belong to the japonica race of O. sativa, and thus are morphologically similar to japonicas. However, javanicas have wider and more pubescent (hairy) leaves. In addition, the grain frequently has hairlike awns. Varieties belonging to javanicas are grown only in Indonesia, in the rice terraces of the Philippines, and in the mountainous areas of Madagascar.

An accession is a variety, a strain, or a bulk population registered at the national center and worth conserving.

High yielding varieties maturing within 110 days like Heera, Sneha, Pathara, Bandana, Kalinga III,Parijat, Arnapurna, Ghanteswari, Khandagiri, Nilagiri etc. to be direct sown in lines.

High yielding paddy varieties maturing within 135 days like Lalat, MTU-1001, Sworna etc.

High yielding paddy varieties maturing within 150 days like Moti, Kanchana, Gouri, Padmini, Bhaja, Samanta, Meher.

Many of the world's poorest farmers live in the uplands. Their farming systems are highly diverse, with tree products and livestock often making important contributions to family income. Most farmers still grow traditional varieties without using chemical inputs. More than 17 million hectares of upland rice are grown worldwide -- around 60% of them are in Asia.

The rainfed lowland ecosystem covers 37 million hectares or about one-fourth of the world's total rice area. Rainfed-lowlands are heterogeneous in any single location, diverse across locations, and unpredictable everywhere. Hundreds of the world's poorest people depend on them for their livelihood.

Dry season with assured irrigation is more suitable.

Difficulty in crop establishment may be seen in areas with heavy downpour (NE Monsoon periods of Tamil Nadu)

Hybrids and varieties with heavy tillering.

7-8 kg for single seedling per hill.

Prepare 100 m2 nurseries to plant 1 ha.

Four (4) m3 of soil mixture is needed for 100 m2 nursery.

Spread a plastic sheet or used polythene gunny bags on the shallow raised bed to prevent roots growing deep into soil.

Mix 70 % soil + 20 % well – decomposed pressmud / bio – gas slurry / FYM + 10 % rice hull. Incorporate in the soil mixture 1.5 kg of powdered di – ammonium phosphate or 2kg 17 – 17 – 17 NPK fertilizer.

Filling in soil mixtures: Place a wooden frame of 0.5 m long, 1 m wide and 4 m deep divided into 4 equal segments on the plastic sheet or banana leaves. Fill the frame almost to the top with the soil moisture.

Pre – germinating the seeds 2 days before sowing : Soak the seeds for 24 h, drain and incubate the soaked seeds for 24 h, sow when the seeds sprout and radical (seed root) grows to 2-3 mm long.

Sow the pre – germinated seeds weighing 90 – 100 g / m2 (100 g dry seed may weigh 130 g after sprouting) uniformly and cover them with dry soil to a thickness of 5 mm. Sprinkle water immediately using rose can to soak the bed and remove the wooden frame and continue the process until the required area is completed.

Water the nursery with rose can as and when needed (twice or thrice a day) to keep the soil moist. Protect the nursery from heavy rains for the first 5 DAS. At 6 DAS, maintain thin film of water all around the seedling mats. Drain the water 2 days before removing the seedlings mats for transplanting.

If seedling growth is slow, sprinkle 0.5% urea + 0.5% zinc sulphate solution at 8-10 DAS.

Seedlings reach sufficient height for planting at 15 days. Lift the seedling mats and transport them to main field.

Plough the land during summer to economize the water requirement for initial preparation of land.
Flood the field 1 or 2 days before ploughing and allow water to soak in. Keep the surface of the field covered with water.
Keep water to a depth of 2.5cm at the time of puddling.

For fluffy paddy soils: Compact the soil by passing 400 g stone roller or oil – drum with stones inside, eight times at proper moisture level (moisture level at friable condition of soil which is approximately 13 to 18%) once in three years, to prevent the sinking of draught animals and workers during puddling.

For sodic soils with pH values of more than 8.5, plough at optimum moisture regime, apply gypsum at 50 % gypsum requirement uniformly, impound water, provide drainage for leaching out soluble salts and apply green leaf manure at 5 t/ ha, 10 to 15 days before transplanting. Mix 37.5 kg of Zinc sulphate per ha with sand to make a total quantity of 75 kg and spread the mixture uniformly on the leveled field. Do not incorporate the mixture in the soil. Rice under sodic soil responds well to these practices.

For saline soils with EC values of more than 4 dS/m, provide lateral and main drainage channels (60 cm deep and 45 cm wide), apply green leaf manure at 5 t / ha at 10 to 15 days before transplanting and 2 % extra dose of nitrogen in addition to recommended P and K and ZnSo4 at 37.5 kg/ha at planting.

For acid soils apply lime based on the soil analysis for obtaining normal rice yields. Lime is applied 2.5 t/ha before last ploughing. Apply lime at this rate to each crop up to the 5th crop.

Single seedling of 15 days old.

Fill up the gaps between 7th and 10th DAT.

Transplant within 30 minutes of pulling out of seedlings.

Irrigation only to moist the soil in early period of 10 days.
Restoring irrigation to a maximum depth of 2.5 cm after development of hairline cracks in the soil until panicle initiation.
Increasing irrigation depth to 5.0 cm after PI one day after disappearance of ponded water.

Rotary Weeder / Cono weeder.

Moving the weeder with forward and backward motion to bury the weeds and as well to aerate the soil at 7-10 days interval from 10-15 days after planting on either direction of the rows and column.

For using pure and healthy seeds we have to prepare a salt solution by adding 100 g of salt in 1 Litre of water. Dip the seeds in the solution. Remove the floating seeds and wash the seeds with clean water.

Seed treatment is done to control seed borne diseases. Bavistin @ 2.5 g/kg of seeds or Beam 75 @ 0.6 g/kg of seeds.

Seedling treatment is done by application of

• Furadon 3G @ 250 g/100 sq.m. to make the seedling resistant for at least 25-30 days against gall midge.
• Seedling root dip before transplanting to the mainfield for 10- 12 hours in chlorpyriphos solution @ 1ml/liter of water.

Age of Seedlings for

• HYV 20-30 days
• SRI 10-12 days

It is a method of planting rice wherein the seeds are sown directly in an upland or lowland field.

It is a method of planting rice wherein the seeds are sown directly in an upland or lowland field.

Breeder seed: Breeder seed is seed or vegetative propagating material directly controlled by the originating or sponsoring plant breeder of the breeding programme or institution and/ or seed whose production is personally supervised by a qualified plant breeder and which provides the source for the initial and recurring increase of foundation seed.

Foundation seed: Foundation seed shall be the progeny of Breeder seed or be produced from foundation seed, which can be clearly traced to Breeder seed. Thus foundation seed can even be produced from foundation seed during the production of Foundation Seed the minimum seed certification standard shall be the same for both foundation seed stage-I and II. The certification tag shall be white colour for both foundation seed stage-I and II. The production of foundation seed stage I and II shall be supervised and approved by the certification agency and be so handled as to maintain specific genetic identity and genetic purity and shall be required to confirm to certification standards specified for the crop / variety being certified.

Certified seed shall be the progeny of foundation seed and its production shall be so handled as to maintain specific genetic identity and purity according to the standards prescribed for the crop being certified. Certified seed may be the progeny of certified seed provided this reproduction does not exceed three generations beyond foundation seed stage-I.

The first generation resulting from crossing of two varieties or parents. Hybrid(certified) seed is the first generation resulting from the cross of two approved inbred lines or parents , one of which is male sterile.

The seed notified under Section 5 of the Seeds Act, 1966. Such seed sold in the market has to be labelled as prescribed under Section 6(a) and (b) of the Seeds Act. Such seed is called Labelled Seed.

Anybody willing to come forward to produce certified seed can produce certified seed. At present State Seeds Corporations, National Seeds Corporation, State Farm Corporation of India, State Departments of Agriculture, Private Companies, Cooperatives and individual farmers are producing certified seed.

Seed Replacement Rate is the percentage of area sown out of total area of crop planted in the season by using certified/quality seeds other than the farm saved seed.

Genetically Modified seed is developed by application of biotechnology wherein a specific gene from other genus is inserted by genetic manipulation to make it resistant against certain characteristics like insect pest resistance, for example in the Bt. cotton, Cry1 AC gene has been incorporated in the cotton seed from a soil bacteria i.e. Bacillus thirugenesis which make it resistant against the attack of boll worm.

• Planting distance for HYV 20cmX10cm or 20cmX15cm or 15cmX10cm
• Hybrid rice 20cmX20cm
• SRI method 25cmX25cm or 30cmX30cm.

Age of Seedlings for

• HYV 20-30 days
• SRI 10-12 days

70 hills/m2 for varieties maturing within 110 days. 50hills/m2 for varieties maturing within 135 days. 35 hills/m2 for varieties maturing within 155 days.

Transplanting and direct seeding.

In transplanting rice, seedlings are first grown in seedbeds before they are transplanted in the fields.

Vegetative, reproductive, and ripening.

It is characterized by active tillering (when shoots arise from the main culm or stem), gradual increase in plant height, and leaf emergence at regular intervals.

It is characterized by culm elongation (which increases plant height), decline in tiller number, emergence of the flag leaf (the last leaf), booting, heading, and flowerings.

It is characterized by leaf senescence and grain growth.

During the latter part of the panicle development stage (about 16 days after visual panicle initiation), the sheath of the flag leaf swells. This swelling of the flag leaf sheath is called booting.

It is the emergence of the panicle out of the flag leaf sheath.

The flowering stage occurs when the anthers of the terminal spikelets protrude and shed pollen. It occurs 25 days after visual panicle initiation regardless of the variety.

These are the milky grain stage, the dough grain stage, the yellow-ripe grain stage, and the mature grain stage.

The contents of the caryopsis (the starch portion of the grain) are first watery but later turn milky in consistency. When held upright, the top of the panicle during milk stage will bend gently in an arc. The content of the grain is a white liquid that can be squeezed out.

It is when the milky portion of the grain turns first into soft and later hard dough.

The grain color in the panicles begins to change from green to yellow. The individual grain is mature, fully developed, and is hard and free from green tint. The mature grain stage is complete when 90-100% of the filled spikelets have turned yellow. The panicle arches further with the exception of a few still green spikelets and all grains are yellow and hard.

Just as with insect pests of rice, a mixture of approaches for weed management needs to be applied. For more than 2,000 years, water and the physical removal of weeds have been the dominant components of weed management. To date, herbicide application is the solution. But other approaches needs to be developed. Good land management with level fields can be combined with minimum water use for effective weed control, use of clean seeds can prevent new weed species from being introduced; and mechanization of planting, both for transplanting and for direct seeding, allows for easier weed management. Long- term solutions to weed management will include developing rice cultivars that outcompete weeds for resources (light, nutrients, and water) and that interfere with weed growth. Weeds have their own pests: insects, diseases, and nematodes. Opportunities exist to use these indigenous natural control agents as biological weed management tools.

So the rice will have a head start over the weeds. This will minimize the cost of weeding and expensive chemicals.

• Fertilizer dose for unfavourable rainfed upland NPK will be @ 40-20-20 kg/ha
• Lowland Kharif irrigated rice 60-30-30 kg/ha
• Rabi rice 80-40-40 kg/ha

Fertilizer dose for

• Hybrid rice N, P & K 100-60-60 kg/ha
• Aromatic rice N,P,K ,Zn 60-30-30-25 kg/ha

For 10 decimal nursery area, it is recommended to use 2 quintal of FYM, 4.5 kg of Urea, 13 kg of SSP and 3.5 kg of MOP. If required 4.5 kg Urea may be applied as top dressing after 15 days of sowing.

• Azolla is a water fern. It fixes atmospheric nitrogen into the soil with the help of blue green algae by symbiosis process.
• Its application improves soil health and soil fertility. Azolla suppresses weed growth, reduces loss of applied chemical Nitrogen fertilizer. Azolla Biofertilizers technology is simple, economic and ecofriendly.
• In rice field Azolla grown once before or after planting can produce upto 25 tons of fresh biomass and contribute upto 50 kg N/ha. Azolla grown once during the cropping season can easily supply 20-40 kg N/ha. Azolla can be used as a feed for poultry, duckery, fish and cattle.

Urea fertilizer is the cheapest among all types.

Rock phosphate should be applied one month before sowing or 50% Rock phosphate + 50% single super phosphate.

Only basal application at the time of final ploughing.

Type of Biofertilizers:

• Azotobactor for all non-paddy crops.
• Azospirillum for wet land paddy crop.
• Rhizobium for pulses and Groundnut.
• P.S.M. for all crops.
• Potash solublising micro-organism for all crops.

By application of organic manure and recycling of crops residues.

24:12:12 kgs of NPK per acre for short duration. 32:16:16 kgs of NPK per acre for medium and late duration high yielding paddy.

• 25% at the time of sowing/transplanting
• 50% at the time of beausaning/Tilling.
• 25% at panicle initiation stage.

Topdressing means applying fertilizer to the soil or water surface after seeding or transplanting or after the crop has been well established (usually at the panicle initiation stage about 3 weeks after flowering).

Rice:

• Seedling stage.
• Maximum tilling stage
• Panicle initiation stage
• Flowering Stage
• Soft dough or milky stage.

Irrigated rice is grown in bunded, puddled fields with an assured water supply for one or more crops a year. Worldwide, 80 million hectares of irrigated rice (55% of the total area) produce about three quarters of all rice harvested. Average yields vary from 3 to 9 tons per hectare.

Farmers in South and Southeast Asia grow approximately 10 million hectares of flood-prone rice, which account for nearly 88% of all such rice grown in the world. There are three major kinds of flood-prone rice: deepwater, which tolerates water depths of 50-l00 centimeters; floating, which can be found in water up to 400 centimeters deep; and tidal wetland, which can survive submergence, sometimes in salty water, for short periods.

Paddy stem borer, Gall midge, Swarming caterpillar, Rice case worm, Rice skipper, Leaf folder or Leaf roller, Rice horned caterpillar, Yellow hairy caterpillar, Grasshopper, Spiny beetle, Whorl maggot, Green leafhopper, Brown plant leafhopper, White backed plant hopper, Mealy bug, Rice ear head bug, Thrips.

Paddy stem borer.

• Avoid close planting and continuous water stagnation
• Pull out and destroy the affected tillers
• Set up light traps to attract and kill the moths
• Harvest the crop up to the ground level and disturb the stubbles  

Within a week of noticing moth activity

Ratna, Jaya and TKM 6.

Fenthion 100 EC 500 ml/ha (or) Monocrotophos 36 SL 1000 ml/ha (or) Fenitrothion 50 EC 1000 ml/ha (or) Phosalone 35 EC 1500 ml/ha (or) Quinalphos 25 EC 1000 ml/ha (or) Phosphamidon 40 SL 600 ml/ha (or) Profenophos 50 EC 1000 ml/ha.

Gall midge. Fenthion 100 EC 500 ml/ha (or) Fenitrothion 50 EC 1000 ml/ha (or) Phosalone 35 EC 1500 ml/ha (or) Quinalphos 25 EC 1000 ml/ha (or) Phosphamidon 40 SL 600 ml/ha.

• After the crop harvesting plough the field immediately
• Use early maturing varieties and resistant varieties like MDU 3, Shakhi, Vikram and Sureka
• Optimum recommendation of potash fertilizer
• Infra red light traps attract gall midge effectively

At 10 DAT and release it @ 1 per 10m2 in the main field

• Fenthion 100 EC 500 ml (or)
• Quinalphos 25 EC 1000 ml/ha

Swarming caterpillar

July – September

Kerosenate the water while irrigation-suffocation Allow ducks into the field

Drain the water and spray Chlorpyripos 20 EC 80ml

 

• Mix 250 ml of kerosene to the standing water
• Dislodge the cases by passing a rope and drain water
• Collect the cases and destroy  

• Main field - Spray Monocrotophos 36WSC 500ml/ha

monocrotophos 36 WSC 500ml /ha

• Use resistant varieties like TNAU LFR 831311, Cauveri, Akashi, TKM-6, IET 7511, IET 9225 and IET 9797.
• Clipping of affected leaves reduces the pest population.
• Keep the bunds clean by trimming them and remove the grassy weeds.
• Avoid use of excessive nitrogenous fertilizer.
• Set up light traps to attack and kill the moths.
• Release Trichogramma chilonis on 37, 44 and 51 DAT thrice followed by three sprays of monocrotophos 36 SL @ 1000 ml/ha on 58, 65 and 72 DAT.
• Spray neem seed kernel extract 5% @ 25 kg (or) Fenitrothion 50 EC 1.01 (or) phosalone 35 EC 1.5 l (or) Chlorpyripos 20 EC 1.25 l/ha.

TNAU LFR 831311, Cauveri, Akashi, TKM-6, IET 7511, IET 9225 and IET 9797.  

Rice horned caterpillar

Rice horned caterpillar, monocrotophos 36 WSC 500ml/ha 

Grasshopper  

Monocrotophos 36 WSC 500ml/ha

Expose the eggs to be picked up by birds after ploughing and trim the bunds Dusting the crop with methyl parathion 2% @ 25-30 kg/ha or malathion 5%@20kg/ha.

• Leaf tip containing blotch mines should be destroyed
• Manual collection and killing of beetles with hand nets

Whorl maggot 

Green leafhopper

Green leafhopper 

IR 50, CR 1009, Co 46

• Apply neem cake @ 12.5 kg/20 cent nursery as basal dose
• Set up light traps to attract and control the leaf hopper
• Spray insecticides twice 15 and 30 days after transplanting like Phosphamidon 40 SL @ 1000ml/ha or Profenophos 50EC @ 1000ml/ha  

Brown plant leafhopper 

Brown plant leafhopper  

Aruna, ADT 36, Co 42, Co 46, IR 36 and IR 72.

• Avoid close planting and provide 30 cm rogue spacing at every 2.5 cm
• Avoid use of excessive nitrogenous fertilizers Control irrigation by intermittent draining
• Set up light traps during night or yellow pan traps during day time
• Conserve natural enemies like Lycosa pseudoannulata, Cyrtorhinus lividipennis
• Avoid use of insecticides causing resurgence such as synthetic pyrethroids, methyl parathion, fenthion and quinalphos
• Drain the water before the use of insecticides and direct the spray towards the base of the plants  

Spray any one of the following:

• Phosphamidon 40 SL 1000 ml/ha Monocrotophos 36 SL 1250 ml/ha
• Phosalone 35 EC 1500 ml/ha Carbaryl 10 D 25 kg/ha
• Methyl demeton 25 EC 1000 ml/ha Acephate 75 SP 625 gm/ha
• Chlorpyriphos 20 EC 1250 ml/ha Carbofuran 3 G 17.5 kg/ha
• Dichlorvos 76 WSC 350 ml/ ha
• Neem oil 3% 15 lit/ha Iluppai oil 6% 30 lit/ha Neem seed kernel extract 5% 25 kg/ha

White backed plant hopper 

White backed plant hopper

• Avoid use of excessive nitrogenous fertilizers
• Control irrigation by intermittent draining

• Phosphamidon 40 SL @ 1000ml/ha, Monocrotophos 36 SL @ 1250ml/ha
• Carbofuran 3 G @ 17.5 kg/ha, Dichlorvos 76 WSC @ 350 ml/ha
• Neem oil 3% @ 15 lit/ha, Illuppai oil 6% @ 30lit/ha, Neem seed kernel extract 5% @ 25 kg/ha

Mealy bug

The mealy bug is parasitized by Adelencyrtus sp., Dolihoceros sp., Gyramusa sp, Parasyrphophagus sp., Xanthoencyrtus sp and predated upon by Gitonides perspicax, Leucopsis luteicomis, Scymnus sp., Pullus sp., Anatrichus pygmaeus and Mepachymerus ensifer.

Spray any one of the following insecticides in the initial stage of infestation

• Dimethoate 30 EC 500 ml/ha or
• methyl demeton 25 EC @ 500ml/ha

Rice earhead bug

Rice earhead bug

Dust any one of the following at 25 kg/ha twice, the first during flowering and second a week later :

• Quinalphos 1.5 D (or) Fenitrothion 2 D (or) Carbaryl 10 D (or) Malathion 5 D (or)
• KKM 10 D (The new KKM dust formulation consists of 10% of Acorus calamus rhizome powder and 90% of flyash which is a waste product from Thermal Power Station. This dust formulation repels the rice earhead bug.)

Spray any one of the following twice as above:

• Monocrotophos 36 SL 500 ml/ha (or) Fenitrothion 50 EC 1000 ml/ha (or)
• Fenthion 100 EC 500 ml/ha (or) Malathion 50 EC 500 ml/ha (or)
• Neem seed kernel extract 5% 25 kg/ha (or) Notchi or Ipomoea or Prosopis leaf extract 10%.

Thrips 

Spray any one of the following :

• Phosphamidon 40 SL 600 ml /ha (or) Monocrotophos 36 SL 500 ml /ha

Moderate to severe in nursery, 5% dead hearts or 1 eggmass/m2 at planting to tillering stage or one moth/m2 at panicle initiation to booting or flowering stage.

One gall/m2 in endemic areas or 5% affected tillers in non endemic areas. 5% affected is the ETL at mid tillering stage.

20% damaged hills up to 30DAP

1-2 cases/hill 

One damaged leaf/hill or 1 larvae/hill at planting and 1-2 freshly damaged leaf/hill at mid tillering or panicle initiation to booting stages. 

One adult or one grub/hill at planting to pretillering stages or one adult or 1 or 2 damaged leaves/hill at mid tillering stage 

Brown Plant Hopper can be controlled by following methods.
Cultural control
• Drain out water from field for 3-4 days.
• Maintain optimum plant population, preparing alley (skip 1 row after each 20 rows)
Chemical Control
• Monocrotophos 36 SL @ 400 ml
• Ethofenprox 10 EC @ 300 ml
• Phosalone 35 EC@ 400ml
• Imidacloprid @ 40 ml BPMC @ 400 ml per area in 200 Lit of water. Direct the nozzle to the base of the plant. Spray neem based pesticide @ 4-5 ml per Lit at the base of plant.  

Blast disease can be controlled by the following methods.

Cultural
• Avoid raising seedlings in upland areas.
• Avoid excess application of N fertilizer beyond 80 kg/ha.
• Apply balanced fertilizer NPK in 2-3 splits.
  Chemical
• Hinosan 50EC @ 2ml/Lit of water.
• Bavistin 50 WP @ 2.5 g/Lit of water
• Aqueous extract of bael leaves (A. marmelous) @ 25 g/Lit to be grinded and mixed in 1 Lit water.
• Tulsi leaves (0.Sanctum) @ 25 g to be steamed for 15 minutes and mixed in 1 Lit water.

By promoting IPM, farmers will be equipped with information and tools to make better decisions about how to control insects, weeds, diseases, and other pests without relying solely on chemical inputs that can damage the environment and cause health problems.

Spiders are naturally voracious predators. One spider can immobilize five brown plant hopper nymphs or adults in 2 or 3 minutes. Among the 300 diverse kinds of spiders, the wolf is the best predators.

Golden apple snails have become a serious problem in the Philippines and other countries causing high losses, but there has not been an intensive and well-targeted research on these pests. It is necessary to first understand the ecological relationships of golden snails and other biotic and abiotic factors in the rice ecosystem in order to design management strategies. IRRI, meanwhile, has designed a counter-weapon -- a kitchen strainer and scraper-blade on a long handle -- to control these pests.