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Spiny Beetle / Rice Hispa

Symptom of Damage :

  • The mining of the grubs will be clearly seen on the leaves.
  • Scraping of the upper surface of the leaf blade leaving only the lower epidermis as white streaks parallel to the midrib.
  • Tunneling of larvae through leaf tissue causes irregular translucent white patches that are parallel to the leaf veins.
  • Damaged leaves wither off.
  • Rice field appears burnt when severely infested.

Nature of Damage :
  • The grub mines into the leaf blade and feed on the green tissue between the veins.
  • Adults also feed in the green tissue; they scrape green matter of the tender leaves.
  • Generally the plants are affected in the young stage.
Mining of leaves by grubs Presence of beetles with scrapping on leaves

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Identification of pest :


              Scientific Name - Dicladispa armigera

  • Egg :
    Eggs are laid inside minute slits on the tender leaves generally toward the tip.

  • Grub :
    The grub is whitish yellow and flattened. It feed inside the leaf tissue by mining. It pupates inside.

  • Adult :
    The adult beetle is somewhat square shaped about 1/6 to 1/8” in length and width Dark blue or blackish in colour with spines all over the body.
Larva Rice Hispa
Rice Hispa Rice Hispa adult

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Management Strategies:


  • Avoid over fertilizing the field.
  • Close plant spacing results in greater leaf densities that can tolerate higher hispa numbers.
  • Leaf tip containing blotch mines should be destroyed.
  • Manual collection and killing of beetles – hand nets.
  • To prevent egg laying of the pests, the shoot tips can be cut.
  • Clipping and burying shoots in the mud can reduce grub populations by 75 - 92%.
  • Reduviid bug eats upon the adults.
  • Spraying of methyl parathion 0.05% or Quinalphos 0.05%.
Collect beetle using hand net and destroy Destroy leaf tips containing blotch mines
Reduviid bug feed on adult hispa Spray Methyl Parathion
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