Insect Pest Management

Sucking pests - Green leafhopper, Brown plant hopper

• Avoid close planting
• Basal application of neem cake @ 250 kg / ha
• Drain the water from the field to reduce the initial infestation
• Foliar spray of neem oil @ 3% or NSKE @ 5% of azadirachtin 1%
• Foliar spray of NSKE @ 5%
• Foliar spray of fungal based formulations like Metarrhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana effective @ 2 g/litre of water

Defoliators - Leaf Folder (or) Leaf Roller

• Release of Trichogramma chilonis @ 1,00,000/ha thrice at 37, 44 and 51 DAT.

• Release ducklings in the field to feed on the pests .

• Foliar spray of NSKE 5%, neem oil 3%, Beauveria bassiana 0.2%, azadirachtin 1%.

• Foliar spray of TNAU Bio- G³ extract @ 5%.

• Fix 4-5 bird perches to attract predatory birds.

Borer Pests - Rice stem borer

• Apply neem cake 250 kg/ha as basal.
• Attract and kill the adult moths using light traps.
• Use pheromone traps @ 20/ha.
• Innundative release of Trichogramma japonicum five times @ 1,00,000 per ha.
• Apply Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki @ 1.0 kg/ha  or
• Foliar spray of azadirachtin 10,000 ppm @ 500 ml / ha or NSKE @ 5%
• Spread leaves and stems of Datura in the field as repellents.

Earhead pest - Rice ear-head bug

• Synchronous planting of early-maturing varieties.
• Weed sanitation and eradication of alternate hosts from rice field.
• Avoid staggered harvesting.
• Dusting of vasambu (Acorus calamus) 10% powder @ 25 kg / ha during morning.