Paddy stemborer: Scirpophaga incertulas |
Symptom of damage:
- Presence of brown coloured egg mass near leaf tip
- Caterpillar bore into central shoot of paddy seedling and tiller, causes drying of the central shoot known as “dead heart”
- Grown up plant whole panicle becomes dried “white ear”
- Plants could be easily pulled by hand
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![](images/pestc/ricenew/stemborer/deadheart.jpg) |
![](images/pestc/eggmass.jpg) |
Dead heart |
Egg Mass |
Identification of insect pest:
- Egg: are creamy white, flattened, oval and scale like and laid in mass and covered with buff coloured hairs
- Larva: pale yellow with dark brown head
- Pupa: White silken cocoon are found inside the stem
- Adult:
Female moth: bright yellowish brown fore wings with a black spot possess a tuft of yellow hairs
Male moth: Smaller with pale yellow forewings without black spot
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Management:
ETL: 25% Dead heart symptoms
ATL (Action Threshold Level): 2 egg masses/m2
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At ATL release egg parasitoid, Trichogramma japonicum for the management of the rice yellow stem borer
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Spraying Neem seed kernel extract controls stem borer
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Clip the seedling tips before transplanting to eliminate egg masses and collect and destroy the egg masses in main field
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