However, rice crops are often plagued by various pests that can cause significant damage, reducing yield and quality. Sucking pests, such as planthoppers, leafhoppers, and aphids, pose a particularly significant threat to paddy crops.

1. Sucking pests of rice
By
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD.
Assistant Professor (Entomology)
JSACAT
Affiliated to Tamil Nadu Agricultural University

2. Thrips, Stenchaetothrips biformis, Thripidae,
Thysanoptera
Nature of damage
Both the adults and nymphs
lacerate the tender leaves and
suck up the plant sap.
Symptom of damage
Terminal/Marginal rolling and
drying of leaves is the typical
symptom
Causes damage both in nursery and mainfield
1
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)
Distribution: Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

3. Laid singly in the tissues of the
tender leaves, hyaline and turn pale
yellow as they mature.
Transparent (Newly
hatched) but turn
yellowish after first
moult
Pupation takes place inside the
rolled leaves
Adult is 1 mm long, dark brown to
black in colour with fringed wings.
Male is smaller than female.
Binomics
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)

4. Management
ETL: 60 numbers in 12 wet palm sweeps or rolling of the first and second leaves
in 10% of seedlings.
•Spray azadirachtin 0.15% @ 600-1000 ml/acre
•Thiamethoxam 25 WG @ 40 g/acre
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)

5. Green leafhopper, Nephotettix virescens,
Cicadellidae, Hemiptera
2
It is a phloem feeder. Amino acid content is high in
phloem sap than xylem.
Plants are predisposed to fungal and bacterial infection
through feeding and ovipositional punctures.
Nymphs and adults exude sticky, whitish honeydew,
which attracts sooty mould (that reduces the
photosynthetic rate)
Transmits plant diseases such as dwarf, transitory
yellowing, yellow dwarf and rice tungro virus
Nature of damage
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)
Distribution. Restricted. Asia, Africa (Cameroon), Oceania.

6. Symptom of damage
Plants become pale yellow in colour
and get stunted in growth
Disease complex is associated with rice tungro
baciliform virus and rice tungro spherical virus
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)

7. Greenish transparent eggs laid in midrib of leaf
blade or sheath of rice or green grass. They are
laid in batches of 10 to 15 arranged in a single
row.
The nymphs are soft bodied,
yellow white in colour.
Gradually the colour changes
to green.
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)
Binomics

8. Black spot in forewings
No spots/markings,
distal end semi-
transparent
Male has two
black spots
extending upto
distal end of the
forewing
Adults are 3-5 mm long.
The insect is active during July to September
Nephotettix virescens
Nephotettix cincticeps
Nephotettix nigropictus
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)

9. White leafhopper, Cofana spectra, Cicadellidae,
Hemiptera
3
Biggest of rice hoppers
~3 times larger than green leafhoppers
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)

10. Blue leafhopper, Empoascanara maculifrons,
Cicadellidae, Hemiptera
4
Empoascanara sp.
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)

11. Zigzag leafhopper, Recilia dorsalis, Cicadellidae,
Hemiptera
5
Vector of “Orange leaf virus”
Mycoplasma “yellow dwarf”
Zigzag markings in adult
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)

12. Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)
Management
ETL: 60 nymph/adult per 25 net sweeps or 5/hill at vegetative stage or 10/hill at flowering or 2/hill in
tungro endemic area
•Use resistant varieties like IR 20, IR 50, CR 1009, Co 46, PTB 2, PTB 18, and Vani, Vikra marka, Nidhi
•Remove alternate weed hosts on the bunds as they act as reservoir of the population.
•Apply optimum nitrogen based on leaf colour chart, to avoid population outbreak.
•Intercrop soyabean in upland rice to reduce the incidence of leafhoppers in rice.
•Do not lay nursery near street lamps; In nursery, maintain 25 cm of water and broadcast carbofuran
3% CG @ 1.4 kg/ 8 cents.
•If ETL exceeds, spray or broadcast any one of the following insecticides twice at 15 and 30 days
after transplanting per acre: Imidacloprid 17.8% SL 40 - 50 ml; thiamethoxam 25% WG 40 g;
carbofuran 3% CG 10 kg; buprofezin 25% SC 320 g; carbosulfan 25% EC 320 - 400 ml; fipronil 5% SC
400- 600 g; fipronil 0.3% G 6.7- 10 kg; flonicamid 50% WG 60 g; acephate 50 % + imidacloprid 1.8 %
SP @ 400g.

13. Brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens, Delphacidae,
Hemiptera
6
Vector of the virus diseases like grassy stunt,
wilted stunt and ragged stunt.
Vascular feeder primarily sucking phloem sap
leading to hopper burn
Nymphs and adults congregate at the base of
the plant above the water level
It excretes a large amount of honeydew and invites
sooty mould
Nature of damage
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)
Distribution: Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, North
and South Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and
Vietnam.

14. Eggs (Banana shaped) are laid in
a group of 2 to 12 in leaf sheath
(near the plant base). Single
female lays 200-300 eggs
Freshly hatched nymph is
cottony white, 0.6 mm long
and it turns purple-brown, 3.0
mm long in the fifth instar.
Adult morphs
macropterous (long winged) brachypterous (short
winged)
Wing morphism is influenced by various factors viz.,
crowding during the nymphal stage and reduction in the
quality and quantity of food, short day length and low
temperature, which favour macroptery
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)
Binomics

15. Whitebacked planthopper, Sogatella furcifera,
Delphacidae, Hemiptera
7
It is not a vector of any viral disease.
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)
Distribution and status: India, Burma, Sri Lanka, China, Pakistan, Japan, Indonesia, Korea

16. Management:
• ETL: 1 hopper/ tiller in the absence of predatory spider and 2 hoppers /tiller when spider is present
at 1/hill.
• Use resistant varieties like Aruna, Karnataka, Karthika, Krishnaveni, Makon, Abhey, Asha, Divya, Py
3, Co 42, Co 46, PTB 21, Jyoti (PTB 29) and PTB 33, Manasarowar, Bhadra, IET 7575, IET 6315, MTU
1249, R 650 - 1820, Shyraksha, Arvindar, kartik, bharatidasan, neela, uday, sonasali, vajram,
chaitanya, nagarrjuna and chandana,
• Avoid close planting and provide 30 cm rogue spacing at every 2.5 to 3.0 m.
• Control irrigation by alternate wetting and drying.
• Avoid excessive use of nitrogen
• Release of natural enemies like Lycosa pseudoannulata, Cyrtorhinus lividipennis (Miridae) adults
(200-250 bugs/ha) during the peak incidence of BPH.
• Drain the water before use of insecticides and direct the spray towards the base of the plants.
• Apply Neem oil 3% 6 lit/ac or Azadirachtin 0.03% 400 ml/ac
• Apply any one of the following insecticides
• Acetamiprid 20% SP 20-40 g/ac, Chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC 60 g/ac, Chlorantraniliprole 0.4% G 4
kg/ac, Clothianidin 50% WG 8-9.6 g/ac, Dinotefuran 20% SG 60-80 g/ac, Fipronil 5% SC 400 ml/ac,
Fipronil 0.3% GR 6.7 - 10 kg/ac, Flonicamid 50% WG 60 g/ac, Imidacloprid 17.8 SL 40-50 ml/ac,
Methyl demeton 25 EC 400 ml/ac, Pymetrozine 50% WG 120g/ac, Phosalone 35 EC 600 ml/ac
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)

17. Mealy bug, Brevennia rehi, Pseudococcidae,
Hemiptera
8
The infestation starts in plants one or two
month after transplanting. Stunted, circular
patches may be seen in the fields.
Large number of these insects’ remains inside
the leaf sheaths and suck up the plant sap.
When the attack is severe, it inhibits panicle
emergence. This type of disease is called as
Soorai disease in Tamil Nadu.
The damage occurs from September. In severe
cases, yield may be reduced even upto 50%.
Nature of damage
Symptoms
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)
Distribution: South and South-East Asia, North America, and Australasia. Rice mealybug was first
recorded in India (Bihar) (Lefroy, 1908)

18. The female lays numerous yellowish white eggs/
simply deposits nymphs in outer leaf sheaths.
Males are seldom found in the colonies, so it
reproduces parthenogenetically.
Nymphs and adults being wingless look alike.
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)
Binomics

19. Management
•Remove the grasses and trim the bunds during the main field preparation before
transplanting
•Augment bio-control agents like coccinellids, spiders in the rice field.
•Remove and destroy the affected plants
•Spray any one of the following
oBuprofezin (25 SC) @ 200 ml/ ac
oThiamethoxam 20 WDG @ 100 g/ ac
oDimethoate (30 EC) 400 ml/ ac
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)

20. Black bug, Scotinophara lurida, Podopidae,
Hemiptera
9
Nature of damage
Symptoms
Bugs feed on the panicles in milky stage result
in brown spots or empty grains in the panicles.
Heavy bug infestation may cause death to the
plants and whole field appears burned called
“bug burn” similar to hopper burn.
Presence of bugs at the base of the stem just
above the water level.
Leaves turn reddish brown and dry
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)
Distribution: Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.

21. Eggs are
cylindrical, greenish
and laid in small
groups of ten in two
rows on the leaves.
Adults are flat, 7-9 mm long,
brownish black bugs with a
prominent scutellum and pronotum
having a spine on either side.
Adults or late nymphal stage
aestivate in cracks in bunds
Nymph is brown with yellowish
green abdomen and a few
black/brown spots
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)
Binomics

22. Earhead bug/ Gundhi bug, Leptocorisa acuta,
Alydidae, Hemiptera
Appearance of numerous brownish spots at the
feeding sites
They feed on the leaf sap near the tip/ on milky
sap in developing spikelets at milky stage.
Sucking of the milky sap causes ill-filled/ partial
filled and chaffy grains.
10
Nature of damage
Symptoms
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)
Distribution: south and east Asia, Throughout India but is more prevalent in Bengal, Bihar, Uttar
Pradesh and southern states

23. Eggs are circular,
brownish seed like, 2 mm
long, laid in clusters in two
rows along the midrib on
the upper surface of the
leaf-blade.
First instar is small, 2 mm
long, pale green in colour,
which grows to deepen
green through different
instars.
Adults long and slender,
above ½ inch in length
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)
Binomics

24. Management
1. Remove alternate host, Echinocloa from bunds and field.
2. Ensure synchronous planting on community basis in an area.
3. Use neem seed kernel extract 5% or notchi leaf powder extract 5% or
Prosopis leaf powder extract 5%
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)

25. Red spotted bug, Menida histrio, Pentatomidae,
Hemiptera
10
Small dot like
discoloration on the
grains
Nature of damage
Symptoms
Both adult and nymph suck the sap/ milk of
developing rice grain. Grain discoloration is
caused by subsequent infections of pathogenic
fungi or bacteria on the sucking injuries
and called “pecky rice”
Egg: Eggs are laid in masses
of 2-6 on leaves.
Nymph: Nymphs are dark
brown.
Adult: It is a small brown bug
with red and yellow spots.
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)
Binomics
Distribution: India, South Japan to oriental region
Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Orissa

26. Rice striped bug, Tetroda histeroides, Pentatomidae,
Hemiptera
Both adult and nymph suck the sap from shoot and cause stunting and
yellowing of tillers
In Tamil Nadu, it is called “Nama vandu”
11
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)

27. Rice leaf mite, Oligonychus oryzae, Tetranychidae,
Acarina
12
Nature of damage
Reddish mite infest leaves by remaining on the upper
surface of leaves
Symptom
Yellowish white speckles on leaves
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)

28. Panicle rice mite, Steneotarsonemus spinki,
Tarsonemidae, Acarina
13
Mites found in between stem and
leaf sheath
Desap the sheath in association
with fungus (Sarocladium oryzae)
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)