Symptom of damage:

• Presence of brown coloured egg mass near leaf tip
• Larva bores into central shoot of paddy seedling and tiller, causing drying of the central shoot known as “dead heart”
• If infestation occurs in grown up plant, the whole panicle becomes dried and known as “white ear”
• Affected shoots and panicles could be easily pulled by hand

Identification of Pest:

• Eggs: are creamy white, flat, oval and laid in mass and covered with buff coloured hairs
• Larva: pale yellow with dark brown head
• Pupa: Yellowish white with green tiye, enclosed in a whiteish silken cocoon inside the stem.
• Adult:

Female moth: Bright yellowish brown; forewings with a black spot.
Male moth: Smaller with pale yellow; forewings without black spot

Management:

ETL: 10% Dead heart 2% white ear

• Clip the seedling tips before transplanting to eliminate egg masses.
• Install light trap @ 1 / ha and pheromone trap @ 5 / ac.
• Release egg parasitoid, Trichogramma japonicum @ 2cc /ac , 3 times at weely interval.
• Spray Neem seed kernel extract 5% or Azadirachtin 0.03% 400 ml/ac.
• Spray any one of the following insecticides
  • Acephate 75 % SP 400 g/ac
  • Carbofuran 3% CG 10 kg/ac
  • Carbosulfan 6% G 6.7 kg/ac
  • Carbosulfan 25% EC 320-400 ml/ac
  • CartapHydrochloride 50 % SP 400 g/ac
  • Chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC 60 ml/ac
  • Chlorantraniliprole 0.4% G 4 kg/ac
  • Chlorpyriphos 20% EC 500 ml/ac
  • Fipronil 5% SC 400-600 g/ac
  • Fipronil 80%WG 20-25 g/ac
  • Flubendiamide 20% WG 50 g/ac
  • Flubendiamide 39.35% W/W SC 20 g/ac
  • Thiacloprid 21.7% SC 200 g/ac
  • Thiamethoxam 25% WG 40 g/ac