Gall midge: Orseolia oryzae

Symptoms of damage:

• Maggot feeds at the base of the growing shoot
• Feeding causes formation of a tube like gall that is similar to “onion leaf” or “Silver-shoot”.
• Infested tillers produce no panicles.

Identification of Pest:

• Egg: The fly lays elongate, cylindrical, shinning white or red or pinkish eggs singly or in clusters (2-6) at the base of the leaves.
• Maggot: Maggot is 1 mm long after hatching with pointed anterior end. It creeps down the sheath and enters the growing bud. An oval chamber is formed round the site of feeding.
• Pupa: At the time of emergence the pupa wriggles up the tube with the help of antennal horn to the tip of the silver shoot and projects half way out.
  
• Adult: Fly is yellowish brown or orange and mosquito like. The male is ash grey in colour. Adults feed on dewdrops.

Management:
ETL: 10% silver shoots

• Release Platygaster oryzae parasitised galls at 1/10 sq.m on 10 days after transplanting (DAT)
• Harvest the crop and plough immediately
• Remove the alternate hosts and adopt early planting
• Optimum recommendation of potash fertilizer
• Setup infra red light trap and monitor the adult flies
• Spray any one of the following insectcides
  • Phosalone 35 EC 600 ml/ac
  • Carbosulfan 25% EC 320-400 ml/ac
    
  • Chlorpyriphos 20% EC 500 ml/ac
    
  • Fipronil 5% SC 400-600 g/ac
    
  • Fipronil 0.3% GR 6.5-10 kg/ac
    
  • Thiamethoxam 25% WG 40 g/ac